


Childhood Friend Romance

by PerkyGoth14



Category: Rugrats
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-11
Updated: 2014-10-01
Packaged: 2018-02-22 10:37:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 30
Words: 48,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2504765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerkyGoth14/pseuds/PerkyGoth14
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Melinda Cavanaugh is the new girl in town and she meets a nice group of kids who become her new friends, following the death of her mother. The kids have mixed feelings for Melinda, but Chaz Finster seems to be really fond of her. Will Chaz be able to impress Melinda to become more than just friends? Read and find out!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A random, bored story that sprung into my mind from watching Rugrats in Paris on Netflix earlier. I couldn't help but think of what it was like to know Melinda before she mysteriously passed away out of Chuckie and Chaz's lives. Gabor and Arlene Ksupko owns everyone, I only own characters that are not in their possession. Read & Review. The story will get dark as it goes on, because, well, this is Chuckie's missing mom. No flames!

Melinda Cavanaugh was the new girl in town. She wasn't sure what to make of her new home. Her father was given a new job and a personal family matter which moved the family. Melinda stared out the window as she saw several unfamiliar faces and wasn't sure if she would like this moving experience or not.

"Now, Melinda, isn't this better than the farm?" Mr. Cavanaugh, Melinda's father asked as he drove his daughter away.

Melinda looked back. "Daddy, why did we have to go?"

Mr. Cavanaugh heaved a sigh. "I know you'll miss the animals, but I promise, my old friends going to take care of them from now on."

"Why couldn't Mama come with us?"

Mr. Cavanaugh paused again.

"Daddy?"

Mr. Cavanaugh didn't want to tell her truth, but he thought of a way to lie, but not in a way to hurt her feelings. "Melinda, you know your mama's been sick in bed a while and needed to stay... She had to spend a lot of nights in the hospital and couldn't come home. Mama's in a better place, you'll understand when you're older."

Melinda sighed and continued to look out the window. Grown-ups always said stuff like that. 'You'll understand when you're older', they would say when they wanted to know why their lost family members wouldn't come home. 'She's in a better place now'. If that was true, why wouldn't Mrs. Cavanaugh take Melinda and her husband with her? Melinda slowly shut her eyes, thinking of her mother and opened them again once the car stopped.

"Come on, Mel, we're ready." Mr. Cavanaugh told his daughter.

Melinda sighed and stepped out of the car. She held her old sock monkey. Her mother made it for her on her first birthday. Melinda wanted to learn sewing from her mother, but now it seems it's too late for that. The girl helped and watched her father unpack. Mr. Cavanaugh saw that his daughter was weary and bored.

"Mel, why don't you go see if you can make some friends?" he offered. "I'll unpack for you and get your things ready. Your new room and house will be something to look forward to."

Melinda heaved a gentle sigh and left her new yard. She looked all around her new neighborhood for some children her age. She saw a rather large group of kids together.

"Stu, I don't think this is such a good idea..." the red-headed boy whined.

"Aw, Chas, don't be such a baby!" the purple haired boy, Stu, told him as he looked around with a magnifying glass.

"Well, I'm bored of standin' around here, why don't we have a tea party?" the blonde girl asked.

"That sounds lovely!" the other nervous boy said.

"Pass..." the brown-haired girl who wore boys clothes rolled her eyes.

"Hey, there's a weird girl starin' at us!" the brown-haired boy in glasses pointed to Melinda.

The kids stopped what they were doing and looked at her.

"Umm... Hi..." Melinda greeted, nervously and shyly, holding her sock monkey close as if it had some kind of security to protect her from bullies.

"Who are you supposed to be?" the blonde girl asked, wrinkling her nose.

"I-I'm Melinda, I just moved here." the strawberry blonde girl introduced herself, still a little nervous around a large group of kids.

"Moving can be scary, we moved a lot when I was growin' up." the red-headed boy said.

Melinda smiled at him. She felt a bit happy that someone was talking to her and acknowledging her shyness. "Who are you all?"

"My name's Stu, and that's my brother Drew," the purple haired boy introduced. "That's Betty, and that's Howard, and that's Charlotte."

"And I'm Chas." the boy blushed as he was really close to Melinda.

"Hello, Chas," Melinda greeted. "That's an interesting name. I hope fall comes soon."

"Why? We'll be in school!" Betty looked at her.

"Oh, I know, but fall's my favorite time of year," Melinda explained with a sheepish smile. "Jumping in the leaves, celebrating Halloween and Thanksgiving, carving pumpkins..."

"I guess she has a point." Drew shrugged, agreeing.

Melinda smiled.

"Well, I had enough mysteries, I'm going home if you guys don't wanna play." Betty sounded bored and walked off.

"Mystery?" Melinda grew interested.

"Yeah, Chas lost his inhaler and we're lookin' for it." Stu explained. "I'm the detective."

"Detective games are so boring!" Charlotte whined. "Let's do our nails or something."

"You can do that, princess." Betty looked at her hard.

Charlotte looked back at her, growling.

"Can I help?" Melinda asked.

The boys looked at her. They hadn't heard a girl interested in their detective games. Betty wasn't into dressing up or fashion shows like Charlotte, but even she found detective games boring.

"If you really w-want to... I re-really need to f-f-find it!" Chas nearly wheezed.

"GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF, MAN!" Stu started to shake Chas.

Chaz screamed in his clutches.

"Stu, stop scaring people." Drew glared at his younger brother.

Melinda started to look around. Though she had clean-cut clothes on, she got on her knees on the ground and looked about. "What does your inhaler look like, Chaz?"

Chaz came out of the shaking and adjusting his glasses. "Let's see... It's kind of blue like the sky and it has a picture of Saturn on it," he chuckled a bit with a snort. "I love science fiction."

Betty and Charlotte looked at each other and rolled their eyes from Chaz's comment. What a geek.

Melinda looked around, but still found no help to get the inhaler. "Where did you last have it?"

"Well, I took it before we decided to play baseball at the park, and we left Stu and Drew's house. We then came here in my backyard to for some snacks, then I realized I didn't have my inhaler anymore." Chaz explained.

Melinda stood up and snapped her fingers. "Stu, Drew, where's your house?"

"Why?" Drew asked.

"I have an idea that might solve this mystery." Melinda told him.

Stu and Drew shrugged and led the new girl in town to their house. Chaz came with them to see if Melinda's instincts were correct. They went around and looked around for it. They still couldn't find it.

"Chas, where did you leave before you came to play baseball?" Melinda asked, sounding like a true detective.

"The front door, but..." Chaz stopped himself, feeling like he knew where this was going. "Wait!" he thought back, remembering. "I took my inhaler at the door while Stu and Drew were getting ready too. Then I ran off with them to play and my inhaler must have fallen out of my pocket in that bush!" he pointed to the bush near the front door of the Pickles house.

Melinda followed his finger to the bush and went to it. She dug her hands in and took out the inhaler.

"That's amazing!" Chaz gasped in shock, then wound up gasping a lot more.

Melinda saw he needed it really bad right now and handed it to him.

"Thanks..." Chaz wheezed, then inhaled to take a deep of fresh breath. He finished and caught his breath. "Thank you, Melinda..."

"Sure thing, Chas," Melinda smiled.

"I can't believe she actually found it!" Betty gasped.

"I guess that girl does have a brain along that beauty!" Charlotte added.

"Oh, unlike you?" Stu teased.

"Stuart Pickles, I'll kill you!" Charlotte hissed.

Stu laughed cheekily and immaturely.

"It's simple," Charlotte struck a pose. "I'm very beautiful, Didi has brains, Melinda just got lucky."

"Who's Didi?" Stu asked.

"Another friend of ours, she doesn't live in this neighborhood, but she goes to school with us." Howard explained.

"Melinda! Come home now! I got food for you!" Mr. Cavanaugh called from the distance.

"Guess you gotta go home now." Chas frowned.

"Don't worry, I'm sure I can go back, it was nice to meet you all," Melinda smiled, then rushed off.

"Goodbye!" Chaz called, then frowned a bit more. "I hope she'll be alright..."

Stu and Drew looked at him, then at each other, smirking. They noticed how attached Chaz seemed to the new girl. "Melinda and Chas sitting in a tree!"

"Hey!" Chaz snapped at the brothers.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Howard, Betty, and Charlotte joined in the teasing.

"Stop it, I don't like her!" Chas snapped back. Wrong, he didn't like her, he liked her liked her. As in childhood love. He hoped he would see more of Melinda in the future.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate me for the ending this chapter! I mostly did it for a very important part of the story later on. Please, just don't hate me for this. Also thank you for reviewing those who did, I hope you forgive me for this one, read & review

Melinda was enrolled in the junior high school. She was now old enough to know the truth about her mother, but her father decided to wait until after she got home. It would be a lot of pressure on her if she would find out first thing in the morning.

Melinda still missed her mother very much and never knew much about the truth of her mother's disappearance or how sick she really was as a child. Her father felt like his daughter would rebel against him if he dated again and got married again, so he decided against it to have any future marriages. He didn't want Melinda to feel worse about this enough.

The strawberry blonde girl walked to school, feeling a little nervous. She was older now and things would be a lot different from elementary school. She saw familiar faces of Stu and Drew Pickles, Betty Giselle, Howard DeVille, Charlotte McSell, and there was that girl with the glasses. Melinda had heard about Didila Kropotkin, but never actually met her. She just knew that she and Stu had become close as they got older as Drew did with Charlotte.

"Hello, everyone." Melinda greeted.

"Hey Melinda!" the other kids said.

"H-H-Happy Birthday, Melinda..." Chaz came up, nervously behind her.

Melinda was surprised, but turned to the boy. "Oh, hello Charles."

Chaz turned beet red. "Please, call me Chaz. Charles is such a geeky name."

"Well, I love it," Melinda smiled at him. "Thank you."

"It's your birthday?" Howard asked. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"It's fine, really," Melinda assured. "You guys don't have to do anything special."

"We want to, Melinda, especially m-m-me..." Chaz smiled sheepishly and took out a flower. "This was in my mother's garden... I got it because it's blue, and I thought you'd like blue, because you wear it all the time, I'm more of a green man myself, but it's your opinion, you don't have to like green just because I like green and-"

Melinda chuckled at him, taking the flower. Their hands almost touched, which made Chaz increasingly nervous. "It's alright, Charles," she smiled, she still kept saying his real name. She liked the way it sounded. "It's a very lovely flower."

"Just, you know... Happy Birthday..." Chaz smiled nervously at her, nearly sweating.

"That's so thoughtful of you." Melinda smiled. She then leaned in and gave Chaz a kiss on the cheek.

"O-O-Oh, my..." Chaz's face paled and his eyes lolled back into his head. No girl besides his mother had kissed him like that. He then fainted right in the middle of the floor as the school bell rang.

"We better get to class." Drew spoke up.

"Oh, you're so right!" Charlotte rushed with him.

Melinda watched her friends and the other students leave to head to class. They didn't want to be late on the first day. Melinda knew that tardiness was not tolerated in school, but she didn't want to leave Chaz all alone. She then decided to take him herself to the nurse's office.

"Excuse me, nurse?" Melinda called, knocking on the door.

The nurse opened the door and looked to see Melinda with a unconscious Chaz in her arms. "Oh, my goodness, what happened?"

"I don't know, he just fainted, is he going to be okay?" Melinda sounded worried.

"Let me see him, you head on to class," the nurse told her. "We wouldn't want a tardy, now would we?"

"Please, nurse, I'm really worried about him." Melinda sounded like an overprotective mother with a sick child in the hospital.

The nurse looked at her, drawn to her natural instincts and concern for the boy. She then decided, just for this occasion, she would let Melinda in to examine Chaz a little closer.

"What's his name?" the nurse asked, as she took out a first aid kit.

"Charles Finster," Melinda told the nurse, putting Chaz's body on a little cushion to lie his body down comfortably.

The nurse chuckled a little. "That boy again? I swear, if it's one thing with him, it's another. He wore rubber gloves to Kindergarten so he wouldn't get contaminated with cooties. Who are you now, sweetie?"

"Melinda Cavanaugh."

"Melinda Cavanaugh..." the nurse repeated, writing her a note so she would be excused from being late to class and wouldn't risk after school detention on the first day. "Oh, Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks." Melinda smiled. She just wished she could've heard those two words from her mother, she missed her very much.

"Alright, let me see old Chuckie Finster." the nurse spun in her stool, wanting to check out the red-headed pre-teen.

"Chuckie?" Melinda giggled at that name. "That's so cute."

"What do you call him?" the nurse asked, getting a glass of water for Chaz.

"I just call him Charles, everyone else calls him Chaz, you apparently call him Chuckie. That's such an adorable name."

The nurse smirked at her and tried to wake up Chaz. "Listen, this takes a little longer than usual, why don't you head to class?"

"But, what about Charles?"

"I'll take it from here. It's nice that you care about him so much. His best friend Stuart Pickles should stay by his side, but after that bloody nose incident, Stuart's never been in here unless it was concerning himself."

"Oh." Melinda stood up, taking the note. "You sure he's going to be okay?"

The nurse smiled. "Honey, I promise he'll be fine, now you better head to class."

"Okay..." Melinda sighed, she then kissed Chaz on his forehead which formed a smile on his unconcious body. "Get well... I'll see you later." she then walked off to get to class.

Chaz moaned a bit after the door shut. His eyes fluttered open and he saw a bright light in the office, freaking out. "Oh, no, it's worse than I thought! Don't take me!"

"Kid, relax," the nurse couldn't help but laugh at his over reaction. "You just had a dizzy spell. Here, have some water." she handed the cup of water to him.

Chaz shakily grabbed the cup and sipped the cool, refreshing water. "Thanks... Who brought me here this time?"

"Melinda Cavanaugh."

Chaz nearly coughed up on the water. "M-M-M-Melinda?"

"Yeah," the nurse smiled. "She's a pretty little thing. She seemed to care about you a lot."

"M-M-Melinda, a pretty g-g-girl c-c-cared about m-m-me?"

"Sure! Once you have enough energy, you'll have to join her for class."

"Oh, gee, I feel so much better!" Chaz sat up in the bed, then got on his feet. "Thank you, nurse, you've cured me!"

The nurse laughed, setting him down. "You don't know how much energy you have yet. You better sit down, Chuckie."

"Don't call me that," Chaz looked at her. "That name doesn't suit me."

"Melinda seemed to like it."

Chaz deeply blushed. "Sh-Sh-She did?"

"You okay, boy?" the nurse raised an eyebrow. "You're s-s-stuttering worse than Porky Pig!"

Chaz smiled and chuckled nervously, nearly wheezing. "I-I'm sure, I'm fine. I'm going to class now."

"Okay, here you go." the nurse handed a note. "If you pass out again, you better come into my room again, but not too quickly. I don't want another case of that nosebleed incident, Finster."

"Yes ma'am."

"Okay, have a good day now."

"Okay," Chaz opened the door and went out to get to class himself. "Gee, I can't believe a girl like Melinda would notice a guy like me... I wonder if she's just being nice, there's no way she'd date me or anything. She's so pretty and I'm so...Different... I probably look so stupid to her..." he knocked on the classroom door. "She'd never really go out with a guy like me..."

The classroom door opened and allowed Chaz to join the others. "Nice of you to join us, Mr. Finster." the teacher scolded.

"S-S-Sorry, sir, ma'am! Ma'am, sir..."

"Just take your seat."

Chaz gulped and took a seat next to Stu. The teacher's words sounded like gibberish to him as he really wasn't paying attention, which was odd for him. He seemed to have been focused on someone else, of course, no points for guessing who. It was bothering Stu, who decided to speak up.

"You like her."

"What?" Chaz's eyes widened and he looked around, seeing that Stu had said it. "What are you talking about?"

"You so like Melinda, Chaz..." Stu smirked.

"N-No, I don't! Besides, she's too gorgeous for someone like me."

"You called her gorgeous, you like her. She's prettier than your mother..."

"Alright, she, wait, what?"

"You know when you're a kid and you think your mother's the prettiest girl in the world, I know I did..." Stu sighed distantly, thinking of his mother. "I hope she comes home soon."

Chaz looked at him and saw Stu's eyes were fading toward the different girl in the classroom. "You like Didila."

Stu turned to him sharply. "DO NOT!"

"Stuart, keep your voice down!" the teacher scolded.

"Sorry..." Stu sunk low in his seat.

A girl with curly dirty blonde hair next to Stu was giggling.

"What're you laughing at?" Stu gaped at her.

"Oh, nothing!" the girl laughed, then kept her eyes forward.

The teacher gave the students time to actually socialize this time.

"What do you think the boys are talking about Didila?" Melinda asked, her possibly new best friend.

"Probably about playing or eating mud or something." Didila shrugged.

"That sounds awesome!" Betty beamed. "Why don't we all play in the mud?"

Didila looked at her. "Elizabeth, that's filthy."

"My name is Betty, and no it's not! It's fun!"

"I always loved playing in the mud back home with the piggies." Melinda chirped.

"See? It's fun, Didi!" Betty smiled.

"I don't think I should..." Didila buried her eyes in one of her library books.

"Give it a try." Betty nudged her arm.

"Howard, what are the girls talking about?" Chaz asked the more cowardly than him boy in class.

Howard looked back at him. "Something about playing in the mud after school."

"I never knew a girl that liked mud." Stu sounded astounded.

"I'm allergic to mud," Chaz hid under his desk. "I don't think I'll go... Melinda can have fun without me."

"Didila, do you think any of the boys are cute?" Melinda asked, curling her finger in her hair nervously.

"Like who?"

"Umm... Let's say... Charles Finster?"

Didila smirked. "Do you like Charles?"

"What! No! I-I-I mean..."

"You like him."

"I do not, I just-"

"Melinda..." Betty and Didila smirked at her in a sing-song tone.

Melinda sighed in defeat. "Okay... I guess I like him..." she nearly blushed which made the other girls giggle.

After a while, the students were given their supplies lists. It might have been Melinda's birthday, and the first day of school on the same day, but she didn't mind. She made a lot of good friends during out of school hours, and she didn't feel so lonely like a lot of new kids in school since she knew a few people.

"So, Melinda, do you wanna do anything after school?" Chaz asked as he followed Melinda home after everyone else had left.

"I have to go home right away, I'm sorry, Charles," Melinda smiled apologetically. "It's probably a birthday surprise. I'd invite you over, but, it's a family thing. You understand, don't you?"

Chaz was hurt that he didn't get to hang out with Melinda. "Oh, it's okay, I'll see you in school tomorrow, okay?"

"Of course, see you later." Melinda smiled and went her way home.

Chaz smiled, sheepishly and walked off to get home himself.

Melinda smiled back at him. She thought maybe she did like like Chaz after all. She opened the front door and went in to see her father. "Hello, Daddy."

"Oh, hi honey," Mr. Cavanaugh smiled with a birthday cake decorated like rose petals with strawberry vanilla flavoring, her and her mother's favorite. "Happy Birthday."

"Thanks, Daddy." Melinda sat down. She looked around before she blew out the candles and her father sang Happy Birthday to her. She looked around, still.

"What are you looking for, sweetie?" Mr. Cavanaugh asked.

"Mama," Melinda said with a smile. "I wished for her to come see us."

Mr. Cavanaugh's smile disappeared. "Melinda... We need to talk."

"What?" Melinda nearly whispered.

Mr. Cavanaugh swallowed hard and shakily breathed. "Your mother... Is never coming back..."

"What? Why?"

"You remember I told you she was sick?"

Melinda nodded.

"Well... The sickness was breast cancer," Mr. Cavanaugh explained through the tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry you had to find this out on your birthday, but it's best you know now since you're in middle school. Your mother was very sick and she died young."

"Breast cancer? Is it contagious?"

"I'm afraid so, Melinda, and since your mother had it, I'm afraid you might catch it once you get older. I'm not sure where or when you'll have it, but I'm so sorry, Melinda. Your mother is never coming back."

Melinda froze. She was really sick to her stomach now. She didn't want to eat her cake anymore or have any presents. She got up from her seat and went to her room.

"Melinda?" Mr. Cavanaugh called sadly for his daughter.


	3. Chapter 3

It took Melinda a while to adjust to know her mother was dead and she was likely to die of breast cancer with her mother. Hopefully for Melinda, she would be very old by the time it would hit her. Everyone sent their sympathies, even Charlotte seemed to be sad for her. Melinda got over it because Chaz had been spending a lot of time with her. Years had passed since Melinda was the new girl in school, and now everyone was in high school.

Melinda was gardening in her favorite spot of her new house. She had made a lovely bed of flowers for her mother who was no longer with them. Her father had gone out to do some work to keep her on her feet, she was often home alone a lot. Melinda was almost like a lonely rich girl, only she had no riches.

"Hi, Melinda!" Charlotte greeted.

Melinda heard her name called and turned her head to see the glamorous blonde girl. "Oh, hi Charlotte."

"What're you doing? Aren't you worried you'll get... I dunno... Filthy?"

"I told you before, Charlotte," Melinda said, returning her eyes and focus on the garden. "I don't mind dirt or mud. I grew up on a farm. So, what brings you here? I thought you'd be on a date with Drew or something."

"No, not today, I'm just saying, you don't have a boyfriend of your own. Maybe you need a makeover."

"What's wrong with how I look?"

"Nothing personal honey, but," Charlotte took one of Melinda's hands with the dirt under her nails. "You could use a manicure, and you'll have to see my sister's salon to do something about that hair, and my other sister could give you some nice clothes to catch you a man."

"Charlotte, I think I'm fine just the way I am." Melinda smiled at her.

"Oh, who likes a girl just for the way she is?"

"Well, Charles thinks I'm perfect the way I am."

"What does he know? Come on, I'll make you the girl of everyone's dreams."

Charlotte grabbed Melinda's arm and accepted no protests. The girls went to the mall where Charlotte's older sisters worked, one in the clothing store and the other at a hair salon. Charlotte's sisters looked a lot like her, only had bigger hair and they looked a lot older and prettier than her. One of them was even married and had bracelets on her arms with a pearl necklace, golden earrings, and she looked like a rich woman.

"Melinda, this is my sister, Stella Hershowitz, Stella, this is my friend from school, Melinda," Charlotte explained. "She's in dire need new clothes. Do you think you could help her?"

"Really Charlotte, I'm fine." Melinda tried to explain.

"Oh, you're not," Charlotte looked at her, then whispered to her sister. "She has had very low self-esteem. You better find something that'll make the boys jaws drop every time they look at her."

Stella nodded and went to find proper clothes for Melinda.

"I really don't think this is necessary, Charlotte." Melinda kept trying to avoid the unnecessary makeover.

"Nonsense, you'll be fine!" Charlotte ignored her, thinking of how much of a catch Melinda will be with the guys.

Melinda sighed. Stella eventually came back with a white top.

"Stella, what are you thinking!?" Charlotte snapped. "You know you're not supposed to wear white after Labor Day!"

"Oh, sorry!" Stella got nervous and dashed away.

"The nerve." Charlotte scoffed, folding her arms. "I should've been the older one."

Melinda looked at the girl, then distantly.

Stella came back with a fluffy blouse with a white-collar and white sleeve cuffs. "How's this?"

Melinda shuddered at the color pink.

"That's perfect!" Charlotte chimed and threw the clothes on Melinda. "You look like a living Cynthia doll!"

"What's a Cynthia doll?"

"You never heard of Cynthia!? They're dolls that had been out for over 30 years!"

Melinda shrugged with an apologetic smile.

"Man, you really missed out," Charlotte couldn't believe that. "I can't wait until I get married with kids and I'll buy them every Cynthia doll in the whole wide world and we'll live in a mansion with a golden paved street!"

"It's really nice." Stella smiled, showing her diamond wedding ring.

"Time for your hair to get done, Melinda." Charlotte beamed, then took Melinda to her other sister's nail salon.

Melinda groaned as she was dragged off yet again. She stayed quiet while Charlotte's other sister, Claire Gripling, who was also married, was doing her hair. Claire had emerald hair with spikes into a mohawk with a lot of black eyeliner and looked like she was in a punk rock band. She also had a short-sleeved black shirt with blue jeans and gray high-heeled boots. Claire scrubbed her hair, wetted it, dried it with a hairdryer, curled it with pink curlers. After Claire finished, she experimented several hairstyles.

Charlotte approved of the styles and only accepted what would be good for Melinda. Claire used a style like her own hair, then Swedish braided pigtails, double ponytails, hair done like Farah Fawcett, a beehive, dreadlocks, but finally, Charlotte found one she thought suited Melinda best. Claire finally bounced Melinda's hair down on her shoulders, it really showed her freckles.

"Well, what do you think, doll?" Claire asked, handing Melinda hand mirror.

Melinda looked at herself and smiled a little. "That's actually not so bad."

"Oh, I just knew you'd love it! Now, it's time to get your nails done." Charlotte cheered.

"Terrific..." Melinda muttered.

Charlotte and Melinda got their nails done. Charlotte had strawberry surprise and Melinda had ruby red. Melinda wasn't one for manicures, she always thought they were too girly, but this would have to do. It was also actually pretty relaxing and healthy for her nails to get them done, but she protested against a pedicure. That was also when Charlotte decided Melinda was ready for the boys now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a random chapter. According to Rugrats Wiki, Charlotte has sisters named Claire and Stella, I don't know if that's true or not, but they're in this chapter. Also, I'm just deciding for filler before Melinda and Chaz get married and have Chuckie. Does anyone have suggestions for possible chapter ideas? :) I'll credit you, in the meantime, Read & Review! Also, I'm surprised no one has chosen Melinda F. in the fan fic category for being a character the story is about yet


	4. Chapter 4

Back in school, Charlotte was excited for everyone to see Melinda's makeover. She was behind the school doors as the morning bell rang and she looked back at Melinda.

"Are you ready for your debut, Melinda?" Charlotte asked.

"I guess so, Charlotte..." the red-headed girl shrugged, shuffling her foot into the pavement, still feeling this makeover was unnecessary. She wanted a boy to like her for her and not for her looks. Chaz seemed to have fit that description, she just wondered how Chaz himself would react seeing her dressed like a teen beauty pageant contestant.

Charlotte beamed and opened the doors for her as the school students passed in the hallway. Several of the boys stopped and looked directly at Melinda. They were instantly drawn to her. Even Drew, who was Charlotte's boyfriend, seemed attracted to her.

"Hey, Melinda," Drew came to the girl. "Can I carry your books for you?"

"Umm... That's okay, Drew..." Melinda smiled apologetically. She felt odd that an older boy was hitting on her like this.

"Hey, I saw her first!" Stu barged in.

"Aw, get lost, Stuart!"

"No, you get lost, Andrew!"

"No, you!"

"No, you!"

Betty muttered and rolled her eyes. "I hope if I have kids they don't argue like that."

"Especially if they came out as twins." Howard added, jokingly.

"Don't joke." Betty glanced at him with a small smile.

Melinda grunted as Stu and Drew were fighting for her and she walked away from them. She was looking for Chaz, but he seemed to had been lost in the crowd. She highly assumed with someone like Chaz that the student body charged for her and must have trampled poor Chaz.

Charlotte grinned that Melinda was given attention, but noticed the girl was missing. "Hey, where'd she go?"

Melinda managed to get away and she saw Chaz was actually in the school library. "Oh, there you are..." she said in a hushed tone, walking to him as he had seemed to have been in a book fort to barricade himself from merciless bullies and hostile teenage girls.

"H-H-Hi, Melinda..." Chaz looked up at her nervously. "I-I was just catching up on some reading before book assignments in class."

Melinda smiled and sat beside him.

"Melinda, you look different," Chaz frowned. "Why are you wearing all those flashy clothes?"

"Charlotte's idea... I don't really like this stuff, but Charlotte said I'll never catch myself a man if I didn't dress like this."

"Oh, Melinda, you don't need all that stuff to make yourself look pretty, you do it all the time without makeup, dresses, and those purses."

"Oh, thank you, Charles." Melinda smiled fondly at him.

Chaz blushed deeply. "I-It's true, Melinda."

Suddenly the school bell rang.

Chaz stood up. "We better get to class."

"I just hope my parade doesn't get too distracted in class today," Melinda stood up as well. "Charles, do you mind walking me to class?"

"Not at all," Chaz smiled, taking her hand and walking her to class.

The other students kept arguing about Melinda, then saw Chaz holding her hand and they were walking to class. Many of the jocks couldn't believe that Chaz Finster got the most beautiful girl in school. Betty hooted and hollered for him, much to his embarrassment, but he kept calm as he and Melinda walked together.

"I can't believe Chaz Nosebleed Finster won a girl like that!" one older boy scoffed.

"I know, Chaz Finster and Melinda Cavanaugh, the prettiest girl in school." another one said.

"HEY!" Charlotte was outraged. "I'm the prettiest girl in school!"

Drew scoffed. "Not anymore, Melinda's where it's at now."

"I won't stand for this!" Charlotte snapped, folding her arms.

One of the older teachers came in the hallway, looking strict. "Why aren't you all getting to class? This isn't a funeral home, you know! Move along, nothing to see here!"

"Yes, Mrs. Guppie..." the students said together nervously.

"Good, now get to class before you all stay in detention!" Mrs. Guppie pointed in the direction of some classrooms, angered at their lollygagging.

The students all went their separate ways. Charlotte muttered to herself. She had given Melinda this makeover, but now she kind of regretted it. She growled. "If she makes it as Prom Queen, she is dead meat!" she then walked off to join the others in class.

"That was quite a fuss this morning, Melinda," Chaz spoke up as he and Melinda walked in their classroom. "Why did you do it? I thought you looked beautiful before you got your new clothes and nails done. I like your hair though."

Melinda sighed. "Yeah, I do too... It was Charlotte's idea."

"Oh, Charlotte... You should see her at fundraisers, she goes nuts with sales pitches."

"I bet... Do you really think I'm pretty, even if all the boys wanna go out with me."

"Well, yeah, I always have," Chaz admitted, sheepishly. "I-I'd even like to go out with you... But, you're too pretty and probably wouldn't want to be seen with a plain thing like me."

"Charles, I don't care about looks, I believe the person on the inside matters. You're a very sweet, generous, helpful, and decent guy," Melinda smiled brightly at him. "Any girl would be lucky to have you. Look at Betty, she's really strong and athletic, and she likes spineless old Howard."

Chaz looked at her. "Really? She's always beating him up."

"That's how some girls say they like a guy," Melinda shrugged. "It's a playground thing. When I was in kindergarten, this boy really liked me and he kept pulling on my hair. My mother said that was his way of saying he liked me."

"Well, that's not very nice!"

"Oh, come on, Charles, I'm sure there was some girl who picked on you all the time and they really liked you back."

Chaz shrugged. "No, when someone picks on me, it's because I'm a nerd."

"They're just jealous. You're really smart and a great guy. You even sometimes save kids the trouble of going up to the blackboard to solve an equation."

Chaz chuckled a little at that.

Melinda smiled at him. Then the other students came in with the teacher, having them all sort out and start class. Melinda looked back at Chaz with a smile, then back at the teacher as they were about to start their lesson. Chaz really liked Melinda and she really liked him back. Yes, they were very different, but sometimes opposites attract. But this time it definitely does. Melinda glanced back at Betty kept poking Howard in the arm and he begged her to stop, but she refused. He must not have known that she liked him yet.


	5. Chapter 5

Melinda and Chaz had not dated yet. They stayed just friends as they found each other too young to date. Melinda was happy that Chaz didn't force himself on her and desperate to have a pretty, delicate little flower like her and Chaz was happy that she wasn't strict and forceful with wanting her to be his girlfriend forever. They were a perfect match. However, one day seemed different in school. Melinda walked down the hall during the passing period and a snarky, slimy voice crept behind her.

"Hey, girl, I can show you a good time."

Melinda grunted and turned to see the head of the school newspaper. He was so arrogant, obnoxious and annoying. Rex Pester, he usually loved to snoop around the school to get the latest dish and he just loved the girls in school and thought of himself as a ladies man because of his connections to the yearbook and paper.

"Get lost." Melinda said, though she normally wouldn't say that to anybody, she was usually decent and good-natured toward all, especially her friends.

"That's no way to talk," Rex grabbed her wrists. "You know you want a guy like me."

"For your information, Rex Pest, I already have my eyes set on someone who I hope someday will be my boyfriend because he's the nicest, funniest, and best guy in the entire school."

"Yeah, who?"

"Charles Finster."

Rex let go and laughed maliciously. "Upchuck Finster?" he kept laughing then wrapped his arm around Melinda. "That's a good one, I never knew a girl like you had a sense of humor."

Melinda growled at Rex, trying to get away from him. "Lemme go!"

Rex laughed, holding onto her tight. "Come on, girl, take a ride on the wild side, you'll have more fun with me than old Upchuck Finster ever could give ya!"

"Let me GO!" Melinda snapped, trying to free herself. She found it was harder to escape Rex's slimy clutches than sprinting after a greased pig in the middle of Christmas vacation.

Chaz was nervously behind a locker. He could see Melinda needed help, but what could he do? He was just a spineless, frail little boy and Rex was big and strong and popular. Chaz did what anyone like himself could do and went off to notify a teacher. Betty was passing by just then and saw Rex had his hands on Melinda.

"Hey! You best ought to leave the girl be!" Betty snapped, glaring at the rat, Rex.

Rex looked at her, challenging as he slammed Melinda against the lockers. "You got something to say to me, Butch?"

Betty fumed as Pester laid out that 'Butch' comment. She didn't take kindly to it. She then pounced on Rex and started to beat him up. Melinda weakly stood up and she saw Betty and Rex fighting. She wasn't sure what to do, but all she could do now was run away while one of her friends was protecting her. Chaz came with Mrs. Guppie, looking nervous as before since Melinda was now gone.

"Alright, alright, break it up you two!" the old schoolteacher clapped her hands to make them stop.

Betty stopped, pinning down Rex, while he grunted in obvious pain.

"Elizabeth, Richard, in the principal's office, this instant." Mrs. Guppie told them, showing anything, but sympathy. "Carry on." she told the other students that had witnessed the fight and went back to the teacher's lounge for a soothing cup of coffee.

Chaz watched his friend and Rex leave to the office and he looked around. He saw Melinda had gone into the nurse's office, which deeply worried him. "Oh, dear, Melinda!" he dashed to the office. "Melinda, are you okay?"

Melinda was happy Chaz came to check on her. Out of all her friends, she had wanted to see him the most. "Yes, Charles, I'll be okay."

"Just a scrape, let these bandages on for until you get home and look at it again, but you should be fine by the time of the final bell." the nurse advised as she wrapped gauze on Melinda's bruised arm.

"Thank you, ma'am." Melinda told her.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Chaz asked. "I saw that boy hurt you."

"This is nothing," Melinda held out her hand for him to support her with so they could get to class together. "You should've seen me run after a chicken with its head cut off, now that's risky."

Chaz seemed surprised about that connection, but smiled at Melinda as they headed to class together. "I told Mrs. Guppie, I wasn't sure what else to do, I'd fight him, but that guy would probably use me as a toothpick."

"Aw, don't say that, Charles, you'll get strong someday."

"Yeah, I guess... Probably never."

"Charles, don't beat yourself up," Melinda gave him a calm, happy smile. A smile that a mother would normally give her child feeling down in the dumps. "I appreciate you taking me to class."

"Of course, Melinda, I love spending time with you."

The two made it to class. A while after tutoring, Betty finally came in the classroom and took her seat.

"Are you in trouble for beating up Rex?" Melinda couldn't help but ask.

"Yeah, but it's just a week of detention starting Monday next week, nothing I can't handle." Betty said, smirking. "It was worth it."

"What happened to Rex?" Chaz asked.

"Expulsion," Betty replied. "Now he's freaking out for his precious school newspaper without him as the editor in chief."

"Another nice poem, Miss Cavanaugh." the teacher handed Melinda her paper with a gold star on it.

Melinda smiled and took her paper. "I just love poetry."

"I wish I could write a poem," Chaz sighed. "But I can't rhyme to save my life."

"Oh come on, Chaz, poetry's not so hard," Howard told him. "You could be a poet and not even know it. It's easy to rhyme at anytime. See?"

"Yeah, I see that you're a word nerd." Betty joked.

Betty and Howard then started to have one of their arguments.

"There they go again." Chaz observed.

"Yep," Melinda sighed. "Those two fight more than the runt of the litter with his five brothers and sisters to get mama's milk."

"I hope we never fight."

"Charles, we're best friends, well next to you and Stu and me with Charlotte of course... We wouldn't do that."

"You don't seem like the fighting type to me."

"Nah, it takes a lot to get me mad," Melinda smiled. "I really like you, Charles."

Chaz smiled, nearly blushing. "I really like you too, Melinda."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so, so sorry for this chapter! I am so sorry, but I only did it for later as it mentions that Melinda had no known relatives, I am so sorry, please forgive me for this one. Read & Review if you still forgive me, but I am just so sorry. If it helps, there's an Easter egg from the episode The Santa Experience where we first meet Charlotte in the Rugrats series. I don't own that either except the old orange Nickelodeon video tape I used to watch when I'd go to bed with it.

"Charlotte, I really think I should drop this new look." Melinda sat on the edge of the girls bathroom sink of the school while her blonde friend was doing her makeup.

"What?" Charlotte looked agape at her, smudging her lipstick from the surprise announcement from Melinda. "Why? You're finally popular!"

"I know, but I don't want to be popular." Melinda told her.

"Who wouldn't wanna be popular? Everyone knows that makes you the top of the social food chain, plus you're a new girl in school, so you should wanna feel popular. I know I do."

"Yeah, but Charlotte, you're popular enough already."

"True, but trust me, honey, popularity and appearances are everything. Would I ever lie to you?"

Melinda merely glanced at Charlotte.

"Ignore that question," the blonde girl said, nervously. "Trust me, all this jewelry, all this make-up, no one would ever think you were a farm girl!"

"But I'm happy the way I am. Besides, there's one boy in school who doesn't care if I look dolled up, he loves me just the way I am."

"Yeah? Who?"

"Well, Charles of course."

"Charles Finster?" Charlotte nearly laughed. "What does he know? At the old school play, he was a tree!"

"Charlotte, he was a willow..."

"He was a tree, Drew said so. Anyway, what's gonna happen at graduation? You two gonna get married?"

Graduation came before everyone knew it. As soon as the graduating class came out, they threw their caps in the air. They laughed and hugged each other, feeling successful with themselves. This was the happiest day they all ever had together and it was their proudest accomplishment.

"Congratulations, I knew you had it in you." Lou came to hug his younger son.

Drew snapped a picture with his camera. "I guess you can accomplish things, Stu."

"Gee, thanks bro." Stu glanced at him.

Melinda came out, holding her diploma. "I feel so fuzzy inside... I mean, I'm happy, but I feel like I might throw up..."

"I know what you mean," Chaz said to her, looking for his parents. He knew his mother was going to smother him with congratulations, but he just wondered how his tough as nails father would react. "Where's your dad, Melinda?"

"I'm sure he's here," Melinda said, a little gently. She looked around to find her father and looked up to see Chaz's parents. "Oh, hello."

"Congratulations, Charles!" Shirley beamed, hugging her son tight.

Chaz grunted a little, the hug was tighter than he thought it would be. He wheezed a bit as he shakily patted his mother's back. "T-T-Thanks, Mom..."

Shirley smiled at let him go. She then spotted Melinda. "Oh, hello there, are you one of Charles's friends?"

"Yes ma'am," the farmer girl smiled. "My name is Melinda Cavanaugh."

"Melinda, that's such a lovely name." Shirley sighed, smiling.

"Thank you, Mrs. Finster."

"Come along, Charles, we're gonna get some lactose free ice cream for your celebration."

"Okay, umm... Bye, Melinda, have a good summer." Chaz told his closest girl friend.

Melinda smiled and waved. "Bye, Charles, have a good summer."

The Finster family then left. Soon, everyone else's families left and Melinda was the only one left at the school. She looked around for her father and sighed. He had experienced some changes lately and spent a lot of time away from home. Melinda was okay since she had her friends with her, but now it was graduation and she was kind of alone right now. She sat on the steps of the school and tossed her cap in the air and caught it over and over again.

"Where is he...?" Melinda asked herself. It was very lonely by herself and there was no one there to take her home, it even got very dark.

A man came over in a rented car and bore a grim look on his face. He came to Melinda, looking very sorrow. "Excuse me, young lady, but do you happen to know a man with brown hair, green eyes, and went by the name of Christian Cavanaugh?"

Melinda looked up at him. "That's my father, but... Why?"

The man sharply exhaled and swallowed hard. "I'm sorry, Miss, but... I got in an accident with your father... I'm afraid he didn't make it."

"What?" Melinda's voice grew shallow.

"I'm sorry, young lady..."

"No... Th-Th-That can't be!"

The man frowned and hugged her. Even if he didn't know the girl that well, he was really sorry for her, especially since he was part of the reason for her father's death. "I am so sorry... Please..."

Melinda sniffled and let out all her tears. Her heart felt like it was being stabbed with daggers, her stomach felt punched, and she felt a lump in her throat to keep her from swallowing properly. What a graduation this turned out to be. Melinda's friends were told about the news, they wanted to comfort Melinda the best they could, but she wanted to be alone. When they got older and started to get to college and move on from there, they hadn't heard from her then. Chaz was extremely worried for her, but he grew happy for his friends who were forming relationships with their school sweethearts. No one heard from Melinda in a very long time and they thought they would never see her again and tried to move on with their lives without her.


	7. Chapter 7

Ten years went by. Eventually everyone managed to think they wouldn't see Melinda Cavanaugh again, so they moved on with their lives. Chaz didn't forget her though. He always hoped someday she would return, though it felt unlikely they would see her again. It was also about time for the school reunion since everyone had seen each other. Chaz wore his best bow tie with a suit like attire and went to see everyone and smiled once he saw his good friends.

"Oh, hi Chaz." Howard smiled.

"Hey, Howard, how's things been going for you?" Chaz asked, casually.

"Oh, not too bad, Betty and I are dating now."

"Really?" Chaz sounded dumbfounded. "I thought Betty hated you or something. She nearly beat you up everyday."

"Turns out that's how she shows affection." Howard sounded sheepish.

"Oh, well, congratulations, at least you won't forget each other's birthdays."

"How's that?"

Chaz glanced at him. "You have the same birthday."

"We do?" Howard's eyes widened. "I never realized that!"

"You're dating, shouldn't you know that?"

"I-I'm just new at this... No one else has wanted to go out with me besides her, how are you doing, Chaz?"

"I'm okay, I guess... I just really miss Melinda..."

"Melinda? Chaz, nothing personal, but she moved away ten years ago, just move on with your life."

Chaz sighed a little. "I know, I should get over her, but I just really miss her... I felt like she was the one..."

Howard put an arm around his close, easily relatable friend. "There'll be other girls, just keep your head up and try to enjoy the reunion, okay?"

"Okay..." Chaz walked away from him and went to see someone else. Hopefully he would find someone who wasn't in a committed relationship. He smiled as he saw Stu. "Hey, Stu, you seeing anyone?"

"Didi." Stu said.

Chaz raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"You know, that red-headed girl, she comes from the old country, she's Jewish..."

"Oh, Didila..."

"Yeah, but I call her Didi now, it's more complimenting than Didila, Didila sounds funny." Stu couldn't help but laugh at his girlfriend's birth name.

Chaz raised an eyebrow at him, then saw Drew come in with a pregnant Charlotte. He had heard about them getting married, he couldn't recall much of how far back, but it seemed sudden to see Charlotte pregnant. He came over to the new couple.

"Oh, Charlotte, how long have you been pregnant?" Chaz asked.

"Uhh..." Charlotte tried to remember, she had been working so long, she barely kept her attention on anything else that didn't involve cell phones, fax machines, or international travel.

"Three months, Char." Drew reminded her.

"Three months!" Charlotte beamed shamelessly.

"Congratulations, I guess." Chaz smiled properly.

"You okay, Chaz?" Drew asked, noticing how out of it that the red-headed boy seemed.

Chaz sighed again. "I'm sorry, I just really miss Melinda... I know she's been gone for ten years now, but I think about her all the time. I just get these dreams that she'll return to town..."

"Oh, Chaz, Melinda's my best friend, she'll come back. If not, you can always find someone else, you're still young." Charlotte assured him.

Chaz smiled a little at that. "I'm gonna get some punch." he walked off to the table to get some drinks with some other classmates.

"You really think Melinda will come back?" Drew glanced at his blonde woman.

"Fat chance." Charlotte murmured under her breath.

Chaz went to get a drink and spotted a frizzy blonde haired girl. "Hey, there... Have we met?"

"Oh, I was always the quiet, shy, easily excitable girl in class," the girl said. "I usually sat in the back... I'm easily broken..."

"Vicki Weemer?"

"That's right!"

"Wow, you get more nervous break downs than I do."

Vicki nearly darted her eyes at him. "I'm well aware of that, Charles Finster..."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Chaz looked at her nervously. "So, you're alone here too, huh?"

Vicki sighed and looked at the moon. "Yes, I'm afraid I am... I was engaged, there was a wedding... but..."

"What happened?"

Vicki sniffled and her eyes started to fill with tears. "H-H-He left me at the...alter..." she then ran off. "Excuse me..." she went into the girls bathroom to cry out her emotions.

"Oh, dear." Chaz looked nervous.

"Are you okay, Charles?" a voice asked.

"Yeah, I guess I'll be okay, I-" Chaz froze. He heard someone called him Charles. No one except one girl he knew all too well called him that, next to his parents of course. It couldn't be. Chaz turned in shock and saw a familiar face. "M-M-Melinda?"

It was indeed the girl. She smiled brightly at her good friend from school. "Hello, Charles... I missed you."

"I-I-I missed you t-t-too..." Chaz took her hands, nearly shivering from nervousness. "Wh-Whatever happened to you?"

Melinda sighed a bit. "I went back home, an old friend of mine from back home that wasn't a farm animal let me stay with her and her parents since my father died. I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you, but I thought you would have forgotten all about me by now."

"Oh, Melinda, I could never forget you."

"And I couldn't you, Charles."

Chaz sniffled once Melinda said his name again.

"Oh, Charles, I'm sorry, is something wrong?" Melinda frowned once she saw tears fall from the boy's eyes. She pulled him into a hug and patted his back as he cried.

"I just missed you so much!" Chaz bawled. "I don't ever wanna lose you again, Melinda..."

Melinda hushed his crying and soothed him like she were a good mother with a fussy child. "Charles, I'll never leave you again, I promise... I'm sorry I didn't get to say good-bye."

"Ten years is a long time, Melinda..."

"I know, don't cry, I'm here now."

Chaz let go of her and sighed, shakily. "Your boyfriend probably doesn't want you around me now. You better go spend some time with him."

"Boyfriend?" Melinda raised an eyebrow. "I don't have a boyfriend."

Chaz looked at her. "Really, why not?"

"I could never find a boy as special, sweet, and emotional as you," Melinda admitted. "A lot of boys back home were just jerks who wanted me for my body and to stay in the kitchen. Only one boy I knew back in my real home would be kind and helpful to me. You, Charles."

Chaz's heart fluttered and he smiled brightly at her. "Oh, Melinda..."

Melinda smiled and kissed his cheek, making him stutter a bit. "You're so great, anyone would be lucky to have you... You really blush a lot, don't you?"

Chaz stammered a bit and grew nervous as Melinda mentioned his blushing. "Y-You'd be a great mother, Melinda..."

"And you'd be a great father, Charles..." Melinda whispered.

A song came up from one of the school dances. Some of the graduated students found a partner and started dancing. Melinda and Chaz exchanged a glance and decided to share a dance together. Melinda didn't even mind when he stepped on her feet a few times. As the song was drawing to a close, the two leaned forward and shared their first kiss together. The spotlight was on them and the crowd clapped for the song and for them to have found each other. Melinda leaned her head on Chaz's shoulder while Chaz proudly held her in his arms.

"Melinda, I may not be the strongest, the most handsomest, the most richest man..." Chaz spoke up after stunned silence together in happiness.

"Charles, are you doing what I think you're doing?"

"Well... I don't exactly have a ring, but... I'd like to spend the rest of my life with you... Melinda Cavanaugh," Chaz took her hands and looked her dead in the eye. "Would you become my bride?"

Melinda's heart fluttered as she looked back into his eyes. Her mouth was wide open in shock. She was so happy and thrilled to be asked that question by someone she can truly love and trust. She had dreamed of this moment since she was a little rugrat and never expected to ever hear it so sweetly and beautifully. Melinda wrapped her arms around him and squeezed her eyes shut as tears came from her eyes and she smiled brightly. "Yes, Charles..." she whispered. "I would love to become Mrs. Charles Finster."

"R-Really?" Chaz gulped as he parted from the hug, seeing her sincere smile. "Y-Y-You mean it? Y-Y-You don't have to..." he blushed as he said that.

"I know, I have a choice and you respect my decisions," Melinda coaxed. "I want to be apart of your life, Charles. I really do."


	8. Chapter 8

Melinda and Chaz rented a house together in a nice suburban neighborhood. They didn't know any of the neighbors yet, but hopefully they would make some new friends together once they would get married. It was nice to know though their friends lived close together, but Drew and Charlotte had plans to move out of the country when their child would be born, but everyone wanted to meet the new baby. They were now in the hospital together, Stu with Didi, Chaz with Melinda, Howard and Betty weren't there as they were on their own honeymoon, and Drew was inside the emergency room with Charlotte.

"I can't believe this, this is so exciting, I'm gonna be an uncle." Stu was the most excited about this more than the others.

"How do you feel, Stuart?" Melinda asked.

"Well, you know, very excited, I never been an uncle before." Stu was literally on the edge of his seat.

"It was a lovely wedding too, even if Charlotte had a conference to attend to in Japan the day after and was nearly a runaway bride." Didi agreed.

"Is it indeed going to be a girl?" Chaz asked.

"That's what the doctors and Drew said," Didi answered. "I even got these cookies for the occasion." she showed cookies that were pink and in the shape of the female symbol. "Anyone want some?"

Everyone happily took some to snack on while they would wait. Stu was like a little kid and really wanted to meet the baby. This day was taking too long, he was eager to meet his future niece or nephew. He kept looking at the clock waiting for it to change hands and looked at the door for Charlotte to come out with Drew and their new baby.

"How long does it take to have a baby anyway?" Stu sighed.

"Stu, be patient." Didi giggled.

"Has Drew settled on names?" Chaz asked his best friend since early childhood.

"I suggested Trixie after our mother, but Drew thinks Angelica would suit better," Stu answered. "He said any daughter of his would be the perfect little angel, so Angelica Pickles."

"It has a nice ring to it," Didi smiled, then held Stu's hand. "If we have a daughter, Stu, we can name her Trixie if you want."

Stu smiled fondly at her. "Thanks... I love you, but there's no love like the love from your own mother."

Melinda smiled at them and looked at the emergency room door too. She was also eager to meet the new baby. She had no siblings or cousins to fondle over, so this would be a good chance for her to meet a baby up close too. She was a bit more mature with waiting though than Stu however.

Finally, the doors broke open and Charlotte had her baby in her arms, being pushed in a wheelchair. She was on the telephone with her assistant while Drew helped her out and finally, the baby was born. It was indeed a girl and wrapped in a blanket while Charlotte's other hand had her phone to her ear. She was actually going to take the day off today and come right back to the office the very next day.

"Hello, baby, it's nice to finally meet you." Melinda smiled, looking at baby Angelica.

The baby blonde girl nearly smiled and lifted her tiny arm to touch Melinda's face.

"I think she likes you." Chaz smiled.

Drew smiled too. "My little Angelica..." he sniffled, nearly crying that he had a baby girl all his own. "My little princess..."

Angelica cooed quietly at her new daddy.

"Angelica, meet your Uncle Stu and Aunt Didi." Drew showed the baby to his younger brother.

Melinda smiled once she had met Angelica. She sighed happily, hoping someday she would have a baby. Chaz smiled back at her and wrapped an arm around her. He hoped that they could have a baby too.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know where this idea came from honestly, I remember seeing on the Rugrats wiki it was ambiguous whether Melinda had met Angelica or not, so I just thought it'd be nice if they could see each other, even if Angelica probably would've been too young to remember. I hope this chapter update makes up for my absence, my little lovelies :P I own no one, seriously, no one in this chapter is mine, if they were, this probably wouldn't had been as entertaining.

Ever since Angelica was born, the others kept hearing either Drew or Charlotte fuss over her. Whether she would try to walk a step or try to say her first words. They were all happy for Drew and Charlotte, but it annoyed many of them since they didn't have their own children and they grew jealous with the old baby blues curse. It struck Chaz and Melinda the most.

One night, after dinner, Chaz was in his office organizing his stamp collection having finished his work and Melinda came over. "Charles, have you ever thought about having children?"

Chaz gagged a little surprised by that question. "Wh-What?" he looked at Melinda.

The girl tilted her head and bit her lip slightly. "If you don't want to, that's okay, I would just like to have a child or two..."

"You're not pregnant, are you Melinda?"

"No, I'm not, I just wanted to make sure if it was okay with you first..."

"I don't mind if you don't mind." Chaz smiled.

Melinda smiled back. "To be honest, I dreamed about having children since I was a rugrat..."

"You keep saying that word, what does it mean?"

"What, rugrat?"

"Yeah, that."

"Oh, it's just another word for a small child," Melinda giggled. "What did your father call you when you were a baby?"

"Slugger." Chaz grinned sheepishly. "Mother called me her little muffin man... She even had me sleep in a bread crib once... I smelled like butter for a week."

Melinda laughed a little. "I was just thinking, Drew and Charlotte had Angelica, I thought it would be good if you and I had a child of our very own."

"If you don't mind, I don't," Chaz told her, pulling his glasses off and cleaning them, looking her in the eye, even if he could only see blurry fuzz.

Melinda smiled. It was settled. Chaz and Melinda would become parents someday, somehow.

A few weeks later, Chaz and Melinda started to plan their wedding. They were excited about having a child, but they had to get married first. Melinda was walking with Charlotte to the park to give Angelica a stroll. Since Charlotte had been Melinda's best friend since she first moved in, they decided to have a talk about this.

"So, you and Chaz are gonna have a baby?" Charlotte asked, pushing her baby daughter. It was the first time in ages she wasn't blabbering on her cell phone.

"Yes, do you have any advice, Char?"

"Well, you have to know that a baby is a big responsibility, whether you're there with it or not. My mother always said that family comes first, I was there for Angelica."

"Yes, but Drew said the day after you gave birth, you went to the office. Are you sure you're not neglecting your daughter?"

"Of course, I'm not," Charlotte stopped to a bench in the shade so Angelica wouldn't burn and the two women sat together. "Are you sure you wanna marry a man like Charles Finster? I know this guy in the office whose wife just died..."

"I'm pretty sure, Charlotte," Melinda smiled apologetically. "Charles is very sweet, and I think he's handsome because of his big heart?"

"How about Travis in accounting?" Charlotte urged her to go for a strong man type with big power and dominance, that's how Drew won her of course. "He has an appendix that hasn't been removed yet."

Melinda gave her old friend a look. "Charlotte..."

The blonde woman sighed. "Okay, you can marry Chaz if you want... He's just... frail, and pastey, and he dresses like my dad!"

Angelica started to whimper.

"Oh, sweetie, what's wrong?" Charlotte cooed.

Melinda took a closer look at the blonde baby girl. She seemed to had been trying to reach for something. Melinda followed her grasping gaze and saw the hot pink baby bottle. "Char, I think she's hungry." the kind woman suggested.

Charlotte glanced at her and took out the bottle, holding Angelica. Once the baby cooed and gently suckled on the bottle, Charlotte found out that Melinda had been right. "Well, I'll be!"

Melinda smiled.

Charlotte looked back at her. "You would make a pretty good mother, Melinda."

"Well, I used to raise baby farm animals and dolls back home all the time," Melinda smiled fondly. "It's instinct, I guess."

Angelica looked up at her mother gently, then looked at Melinda and gave a small smile.

"Look at her, what an angel..." Melinda awed and extended one of her fingers to tickle Angelica.

"Yes, I know, Drew's just obsessed with his little princess," Charlotte smiled fondly. "I just wonder what kinda baby you and Charles would have."

Melinda gave a shrug. "Whoever he or she might be in the future, I will love and accept no matter what."

Charlotte smiled gently at Melinda, then continued to concentrate feeding Angelica, resisting the urge to make an urgent phone call with her assistant, Johnathan. Melinda smiled and studied any motherly instincts that Charlotte had for if she and Chaz became parents. She was really looking forward to her future with him and maybe someday, becoming Mrs. Melinda Finster.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, update! :D I bet you're all thrilled about that, huh? Anyway, let's get down to business. To defeat, the HUNS! Did they send me- Huh? What's that? *Charlie Brown trumpet* Oh, this isn't my Mulan fan fic? *Charlie Brown trumpet* Oh, my bad... Yeah, this is an update for my possibly only Rugrats fan fic submission Childhood Friend Romance. Read & Review, there's a nice little surprise at the end! :) if you review..umm... I'll let you hold baby Chuckie? :D whatya say?

Chaz and Melinda decided to start preparing for a new baby. They grew fond of the idea right away and already got started. They painted a spare room in their house blue and got a crib made by Chaz's father, Marvin, and bought as much Dummi Bear stuff as they could. They weren't sure about the Dummi Bears themselves, but they were told by other parents that the bears are a huge hit with kids. Melinda was starting to show a bit in her belly and there was now a baby shower.

"So, you're sure it's going to be a boy?" Didi asked, handing Melinda present as she asked Chaz.

"Oh, yes, the doctor was very certain," Chaz replied, adjusting his glasses.

"So, what do you think will become of the boy once he grows up?" Stu asked.

"Can't say for sure, but I'm positive he'll be a bureaucrat like me someday." Chaz shrugged sheepishly.

"Either way, the boy will be my baby and I will love him no matter what." Melinda said as she unwrapped the present and smiled as she took out a pair of red shoes. "Oh, these are just too perfect! I'm sure the baby will love them. Thank you, Drew!"

The brown-haired Pickles boy smiled smugly, then turned back to Chaz. "So, have you thought of names?"

"My father thought it'd be best if the baby were named after him, but we might change it once we meet our special little guy." Chaz still shrugged.

"How about Johnathan?" Charlotte pitched in.

Melinda laughed and shook her head. "Thanks, but no thanks, Charlotte, I was never really keen on that name..."

"I swear, you spend more time with that Johnathan person than you do me..." Drew mumbled to his wife, but not directly to her.

"Oh, speaking of babies, how's Angelica?" Melinda asked. "Does she like that Cynthia doll I got for her?"

"Oh, yes, very much, thank you, Melinda," Charlotte smiled. "Sure, Angelica's chewed on it a bit, but she just loves that doll, it's like her best friend."

"I was going to give it to our baby, but I thought maybe he'd like a teddy bear more than a dolly." Melinda told her.

"Angelica's almost talking too, I think her first word was 'cookie'." Drew stated.

"Angelica's such a little angel... Just think, if we had kids of our own, they could play together." Stu smiled, wrapping his arms around Didi's waist.

Didi giggled sheepishly, looking up at him.

"Thanks for inviting me to your baby shower, guys," Howard smiled, just glad to be there. "I didn't think you guys really cared."

"Well, of course we do," Melinda told him, smiling. "Why couldn't Betty come?"

"Aw, she thinks the whole thing is just girly and frilly..." Howard shrugged. "I can't imagine why."

Chaz handed more presents to Melinda. The woman happily took them and enjoyed all the presents. However, there seemed to be something missing. A teddy bear. Chaz had waved everyone home and he shut the door as the baby shower ended and he came back in.

"Melinda, what would you like for dinner?" Chaz called out, but no one answered. "Melinda? Melinda, where are you?"

"I'm in the office, Charles!" Melinda called.

Chaz smiled and followed the angelic voice of his wife. He poked his head in the office and saw Melinda by the sewing machine. "Melinda, what're you doing?"

"I'm making a teddy for the baby," Melinda answered. "All those gifts are nice, but I want to make something very special for the baby. There's nothing better as a gift than your mother's love."

"That's true..." Chaz smiled shyly.

Melinda had kept sewing the bear she made for her future baby son. She finished it and stitched it together. It wasn't perfect like a store-bought bear, but she thought it looked great in her opinion. She smiled and showed the bear to Chaz. "What do you think?"

"Wow..." Chaz whispered and took the bear. It was very soft and seemed very fluffy and lovable. "You're great... Do you often sew?"

"Sometimes, my mother used to sew all the time, such as my old baby blankets and the blanket for when our old sheep dog had puppies."

"Do you ever miss your parents?"

Melinda heaved a sigh. "Sometimes... But I just know that they're watching down on me from Heaven. They're protecting us and the baby."

"I don't know if I could ever raise the child without you." Chaz took her hands.

"Charles, I'm never going to leave you or the baby."

"Promise?"

"I promise... Cross my heart... Stick a needle in my eye..."

"Oh, Melinda, I could never do that!"

Melinda chuckled at his reaction.

A couple more months passed. Melinda was staying home more often and Chaz stayed with her. Chaz's parents came over to offer to help while Melinda needed to get all the rest she could get. The poor woman would be up to throw up a lot and ache and pain. Chaz tried to remind himself that Melinda wasn't meaning the awful things she had been saying with the contractions and hormones piercing her heart and soul.

Both just hoped the baby would come soon, but not too soon and keep them both happy and healthy as the baby should be. Melinda was often in bed with the television set and often received visitors. Mostly of course from Charlotte, who had proclaimed herself as Melinda's best friend. Melinda DID like Charlotte as a friend, but sometimes Charlotte took it too far and used it as an excuse to get her feelings out on the woman ever since she first moved into the neighborhood and befriended the friends she knew since school and now into marriage and children.

Chaz often cooked and cleaned, but he didn't mind. He was doing it all for Melinda and their future son. Everyday, Melinda wished the baby would hurry up and come so she could get this over and done with, but she felt if she wished too soon, the baby would come right away and she wouldn't be ready. Melinda had strange dreams every night. She wasn't sure if it was fearing of what the new baby would do or just hormones from the pregnancy.

She sometimes dreamed that she would have spoiled child who would demand a lot from her. The bratty boy would yell at her all the time and demanding more and more while Chaz treated him like a prince and she would have to work as hard as Charlotte on a regular basis. She did not want to raise a spoiled brat of a child. She wanted the baby to be loved and nurtured as much as possible, but not an actual prince for a child.

Melinda then dreamed her baby would be the adventurous type. The baby would go off on adventures without her or Chaz's knowing. She had the strangest vision of her newborn son having something odd like a screwdriver in his diaper and he would use it against the playpen and escape and be the bravest baby. True, Melinda didn't want her child to be scared of everything, but that seemed a bit extreme. What if the poor boy were to get himself hurt?

Melinda's last dream had to be the craziest of them all. She just thought: What if she had more than one baby at once? What if she had twins? What if the twins kept fighting over who was the best and fight for Chaz and her's unconditional affections? A lot of these baby possibilities overwhelmed Melinda's brain. One became even worse as she woke up, wincing as she felt a splash in the bed.

"Charles...?" Melinda bit her lip.

Chaz woke up instantly and slid on his glasses, turning on the light. "Melinda? What is it?"

Melinda gulped. "It's... Time..."

Chaz's eyes widened. He quickly rushed over downstairs to the telephone to quickly call the hospital. He then came back upstairs as soon as he finished the call and took Melinda. "I-It's going to be okay, Melinda, watch your step..."

Melinda did just that, squeezing Chaz's hand. They made it as fast as they could to the car and to get to hospital. Chaz frantically drove on the road to make it over to have the delivery of the newest Finster family member. It was very late, but due to how Chaz was acting, you'd think he had been asleep all day and active at night to prepare for this moment.

The two finally made it to the hospital. Chaz signed himself and Melinda in and a nurse quickly came and took Melinda in a wheelchair. Chaz breathed wheezily and took out his inhaler to catch his breath. He was very shaky now and wanted to help Melinda, but was told to wait for her in the waiting room. His teeth chattered, he shook in his seat, his legs crossed back and forth numerous times. He just couldn't sit still, this was far too much for him. Was Melinda going to be okay? Would the baby still be alive as soon as it was born? What was he going to do?

"Mr. Finster? Mr. Finster!" a voice called.

"Huh? What?" Chaz looked around. He looked as though he was just waking up after a nine month black out nap. "W-Was it a dream? Where am I? What happened?"

"Mr. Finster, please settle down," the nurse coaxed. "Would you like to meet your new son?"

Chaz gulped and twitched a bit. "S-S-Son?"

"Yes, come with me." the nurse smiled and took him to the back.

Chaz shook a chill down his spine and followed the nurse cautiously. He heard the several barely audible hospital callings to page the doctors all around the building. He winced as he heard the sick people in the hospital. The simplest cough sounded like a deathly wheeze, some people who were staying over night looked like they were dead in their designated beds, Chaz was already squeamish enough around the crimson liquid sprouted from a poor victim, but seeing it in a hospital just made his stomach crawl more than ever. He was almost about to throw up, but he forced himself to do it in his mouth.

"Mr. Finster, we're here." the nurse finally said and opened the door to Melinda's room.

Chaz felt a lot better once he saw Melinda. A great weight was lifted off his shoulders as he came close to her with a bundle in her arms with a baby blue blanket. "Melinda, how are you?"

"A lot better..." Melinda breathed, exhausted from screaming and labor that felt like centuries ago. "Would you like to meet your son?"

Chaz smiled, nodding.

Melinda held the baby close and she showed the face to Chaz. The baby was as pale as him and had her shade of red hair. The baby even had freckles. "He looked so much like you... I decided to name him Charles too... But, for short, he can be Chuckie."

"Chuckie?" Chaz repeated the tiny tot's nickname. "Chuckie Finster... That's a perfect name for him... Our little baby... Our little rugrat..."

"Charles Crandall 'Chuckie' Finster." Melinda told the baby's full name.

"Crandall?" Chaz raised an eyebrow at that middle name. "My middle name is Norbert."

"I know, but I wanted the baby's name to be unique, Crandall was my mother's maiden name."

"Oh, okay... I never heard of it before."

"My little Chuckie..." Melinda cooed at the baby.

The rugrat babbled a bit, not speaking, but half-smiled up at his parents. It wasn't his first smile yet, but it was nearly a smirk. Both Melinda and Chaz felt so happy today than on their wedding day, the day they shared a dance together, and the happy times during school. Melinda smiled as she took out the bear she had made for Chuckie and handed it to him.

"Chuckie, this is your bear... You can do whatever you want for him, he's yours." Melinda whispered to her baby.

The baby put his pugdy arms around the bear and he started to nearly nibble on one of the ears. Melinda and Chaz looked at him and shared a full smile with each other. They knew being parents wasn't going to be easy, but they would make the most of what they could with it. They would, like Chuckie would eventually, take it one step at a time and evolve from baby steps that their son would soon do on his own to impress his parents.


	11. Chapter 11

About a couple of months passed since Chuckie was born, but it wasn't long for him to be showered by the Finster family, mostly Marvin and Shirley. They had nearly begged for grandchildren and were very glad that Chaz had found Melinda, even if they had met at an early age. It was a good couple of months. One day, Melinda was in her garden and baby Chuckie was there with her with a sun hat to protect himself.

Melinda found a nice spring flower and showed it to Chuckie. "Here, sweetie... Your grandmother from my side loved azaleas."

Chuckie took it, curious about his other grandmother. He had only known his paternal one, never his maternal one.

"Oh, you can't meet her Chuckie, I'm afraid, but don't worry, she's up there in Heaven looking down at us," Melinda told the baby as though she could understand his worried gestures. "Don't be afraid, Chuckie... You never have to be scared as long as your mommy is there with you." she picked him up as a butterfly fluttered by and landed on the tip of the infant's nose. Melinda laughed a bit.

Chuckie laughed at this too. He felt very safe to be with his mother.

Melinda checked the time as she came inside the house. "Oh, it's almost time for my doctor's appointment." she gently handed Chuckie to Chaz.

"Do you want a ride?" Chaz offered, taking their son.

"No, thank you, Charles, I'll handle this, I'm sure I'm healthy, I haven't felt anything wrong... Though, I do have these odd dreams about what Chuckie could grow up to be like," Melinda tickled the boy with a warm, nurturing smile. "I'll be right back, Chuckie... Be a good boy for your Daddy."

Chuckie, of course, did not say anything, but cooed and babbled.

"We'll look out for each other, Melinda, have a good doctor's visit." Chaz smiled and waved her off.

Melinda smiled, then went out the door and into the car. She buckled herself up and backed up to drive to the doctor's office.

Chaz smiled and looked over at their bedroom with the closet. "I wonder if we can bring that old fish out..."

"And don't even think about bringing out that fish, Charles!" Melinda quickly added as she drove off.

"How does she do that?" Chaz sighed, but still smiled. He loved Melinda, even if she were against his favorite piece of furniture.

Melinda was called next in her doctor's place. She smiled as she sat on the seat as instructed, took her heartbeat and blood pressure. Everything you normally do in a doctor's office. Within a few moments, they were done and the doctor was looking over some results.

"So, should I see you in a few months, sir?" Melinda asked.

The doctor looked at the results and had a scare. He then heaved a sharp sigh and looked at the woman. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Finster, but your tests didn't go so well... You tested positive for cancer."

Melinda's face paled at the word. "Cancer...?"

"Yes, it says that your mother had breast cancer."

"Yes, she died when I was very young and we had to move away from our old family farm. My father died as well, but it was a car accident."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Finster, but I'm afraid that your mother's disease is hereditary."

"S-So, I'm going to die?" Melinda's face paled even more and her eyes widened. "B-But, what about my husband and my son?"

The doctor understood her worrying and he wished he could tell her that she would be just fine and live forever, but it was his job as a doctor to burst that bubble and give her a dose of reality medicine. "Don't worry, ma'am," he said in a grave voice. "I'm sure your husband is stronger than he seems... Just tell him, it's worse if you hide it."

"You do have a point..." Melinda nodded, though she was still a little broken over having to tell everyone this kind of news.

"I'm really sorry, ma'am... But we haven't found a cure for cancer... Hopefully someday we will. Who knows? Maybe your son could be the one to find it."

Melinda heaved a sharp sigh. "If only..." she then smiled, but still was unhappy about this kind of news on what felt like a very pleasant day. "Thank you, doctor."

"You're welcome, Mrs. Finster, I'm sorry." the doctor shook her hand.

Melinda nodded, then took her leave. The woman walked out of the room and looked over to see a lot of children in the doctor's office waiting for their check-ups. She really missed childhood innocence, unless they were very sick, the doctor would never tell them they were going to die in a few days. Just, how long did Melinda have until she would get sick enough and have to leave her family and friends behind?

She remembered that her mother had lost her hair when she had the cancer. Of course, back then, she didn't know, she just thought her mother had a bad hair day and was hiding it with a bandanna. That's what she wanted to believe. Melinda took an uneasy ride home. Even though she was now sick, she knew she had to directly tell Chaz and not hide it like her parents did with her when she was very young. Hopefully Chaz won't make the family move once she passes away, after all, they had all their friends with them, why would Chaz make the family move?

Melinda came through the door and rubbed the back of her neck. She found Chaz in his office and she gently knocked on the door. Once she had approval to come in, she did and looked around.

"Chuckie asleep?" Melinda wondered where their son was.

"Yeah, nap time," Chaz told her with a smile. "How was the doctor?" he looked back at her, smiling, but then noticed how grim her face was. "Melinda, what happened?"

Melinda heaved a sharp sigh. "Chaz... This isn't going to be very easy to tell you, but... I'm not going to be on this world for very much longer... I have cancer."

Chaz's eyes widened. "What? Cancer? You?"

Melinda sadly nodded.

"But, why?"

"My mother had it, that's why we moved in this town in the first place... My pop didn't want me sad, so we moved away and I found out she had cancer later on in life."

"So, you're going to die...?" Chaz's worst fears had just been realized.

"I'm afraid so..." Melinda's eyes itched with tears as she quivered her lip.

Chaz stopped what he was doing and pulled the woman into a hug. He patted her on the back. Melinda hugged back, she tried not to squeeze Chaz too much. He was so frail and bony, she was always afraid she was going to break him whenever they hugged.

"I'm sorry about this, Charles..." Melinda whispered, taking her husband's hands.

"Not your fault," Chaz said while his heart felt like it was being pierced physically and emotionally. "I-I'm sure Chuckie will be fine."

"Chuckie... What's he gonna do growing up without a mother?"

"Melinda, he may not have you, but he still has me... I'll try my best to raise him after you're gone, but I'm sure we have plenty of time to worry about that."

"Oh, maybe he should stay with your parents..."

"Melinda, don't say that. Don't you believe in me?"

Melinda looked into his eyes, wiping some stray tears down from her cheeks. "Well, sure I do... But, a baby is a big responsibility, especially if you're a single parent."

"I'm sure I'll handle it," Chaz looked back into her beautiful, endless eyes. "It'll be tough the first few years, but I know I'll get through it. Speaking of my parents, do you want them to know."

Melinda sadly nodded. "It would be best..."

"Okay, I'll call them." Chaz patted her hand, and went to find the house telephone.

Melinda heaved another sigh and went into the nursery room. She looked in and walked in coolly as she heard the lullaby mobile in Chuckie's room, dangling over his crib. The cute star, moon, cloud, lightning bolt, airplane, and winged baby influencing his dreams. Melinda smiled as she peacefully watched Chuckie sleep, dreaming about many, many wonders and never waking up until he felt well rested. He would have no idea he was about to lose his mother at an early age.

Chaz went looking around for Melinda as soon as he called his parents. They were understandably sad and empathetic for their son. Though Marvin insisted he wasn't crying, Chaz knew his father was actually choked up once he spoke to the elder male on the phone. Chaz had never seen his father cry in person, but was sure that even if it was on the telephone, Chaz was sure Marvin was actually crying on the other end. Chaz finally found Melinda in Chuckie's room and smiled as he had found her asleep next to Chuckie's crib and holding his tiny fingers. Chaz smiled brightly, and went to give them some peace and quiet and go in his office to finish some work, but decided after a while, he should take some time off to be with his family more.


	12. Chapter 12

Melinda decided to get ready to leave this Earth behind. She really didn't want to do this, but if she didn't, she would have to go on not having been able to do it in any lifetime she may or may not have. She also wondered what would happen if she had passed away. Would she be reincarnated? Would she go to Heaven and possibly meet her parents and any relatives she never knew she had there? Surely she couldn't go to the other place, but at least it would be warm. Melinda decided to write a poem for Chuckie, a bit shorter than the one that Chaz really loved that he recited after Chuckie was born.

The Finster woman wrote out her best emotions and how she really felt about being a mommy. She hoped that someday that Chuckie would be able to find this poem and read it someday if he were ever to be curious about his mother. She wondered what would happen once she was gone and if Chuckie and Chaz would be fine without her. If there was a God, Melinda hoped that He himself would make her be her family's guardian angel. The woman sighed as she thought of the things she would miss out on, it would be too expensive for her to go to France. Sure, she and Chaz had been to Paris before, but it was to Texas to see Melinda's old family farm.

Melinda had even wanted to take a cruise to their honeymoon. She looked out at her garden and saw the flowers in bloom. The woman decided to stand up and go out and take a fresh new flower every day and keep it in her hidden diary. She had kept it hidden for so long, but she decided that after she would eventually die, she would allow Chaz and Chuckie to find it and read it so they would never forget her. Even when Chuckie becomes old enough to not really know his mother, she wants him to still know the wonderful woman she was. Melinda put in one of her flowers and finished her poem, then heard the door knock.

"I wonder who that could be?" Melinda asked herself as she went to the door. Chuckie was at the daycare and Chaz was at work after all. She opened the door and smiled to see an old friend. "Oh, my, hi, Betty!"

"Hey, Mel, I heard the news," Betty sadly smiled. "How you holding up?"

"I'll be okay, it's just really hard to cope with." Melinda told her, with an equally sad smile. "How have you and Howard been?"

"We're fine, how's little Chucker?"

"Well, I've been thinking... I'm not going to here very much longer... So, I think I should weane him."

"Ain't he a little young for that?"

"I know, Betty, but... He can't rely on my forever for milk... I know it'll be too advanced, but I'm sure he'll be okay."

"Well, I better wait for when I have kids."

"Oh, I heard you were pregnant." Melinda suddenly merged in. She had wanted to change the subject about her treatments and what would become of the Finster family without her. "Congratulations, think you'll have a boy or a girl?"

"Maybe both!" Betty beamed.

Melinda looked at the woman strangely for that answer.

"Oh," Betty put her hand to her face and laughed. "I guess you didn't hear, I'm gonna have twins."

"Twins!" Melinda sounded surprised.

"Calm down, you sound like Howie when I told him," Betty chuckled. "We're still thinking of names, but yeah, should be twins. We're seeing first if they're boys or girls. If boys, maybe something like Bill and Phil, if girls, maybe Jill and Lil."

"What if you have a boy AND girl?" Melinda asked the not very common twin possibility.

"Never really thought of that," Betty shrugged. "Phil and Lil?"

"Phil and Lil DeVille DOES have a nice ring to it."

"Yeah, little Phillip and Lillian..." Betty then felt a bit of a kick. "Whoa! I think the pups are fighting over who gets to be born first."

Melinda giggled a little. "I never would imagine myself to have twins... I'm happy with my child no matter what though... I just hate to think of what will happen without me around. Some kids are cruel and bully you if you don't have two parents."

"True... I knew this one kid who grew up without a mother, I was in a lot of trouble for making fun of him for that."

"Betty, you bullied someone who didn't have a mom around?"

Betty frowned a bit. "Honestly, it was peer pressure... I know it was stupid, but... I couldn't help it."

"Well, I'm glad we're friends, congratulations to you and Howard."

"What are you doing anyway? I thought you'd be out in the garden or something."

"No, I'm just getting ready for when I leave... Poor Chaz, our bed is gonna seem really lonely."

"Ah, Chaz is stronger than he looks. Hey, maybe the twins could play with Chuckie."

"Probably a good idea," Melinda shrugged with a smile. "I was hoping maybe Chuckie could meet Angelica, but Drew and Charlotte moved away for one of their jobs."

"Well, I better let ya get to it, maybe if you're lucky, you can meet the twins." Betty headed out.

Melinda smiled brightly. "I really hope so, Betty."

"See ya!" Betty walked out.

Melinda smiled and gently shut the door. She then sighed. "Well, back to work..." she muttered to herself, then went up the stairs. She had continued writing her poem in her diary. She really hoped one day Chuckie would someday stumble upon this secret journal of a book and read it to find out more of the woman he would never really know, even if she did give him life and brought him into this world. She smiled as she finished the poem and read it to herself.

"My sweet, little Chuckie, though I must leave you behind me

This poem will tell you where you always can find me

When a gentle wind blows, that's my hand on your face

And when the tree gives you shade, that's my sheltering embrace

When the sun gives you freckles, that's me tickling, my boy

When the rain wets your hair, those are my tears of joy

When the long grass enfolds you, that's me holding you tight

When the Whipporwill sings, that's me whispering, 'Night, night'"

Melinda sniffled as she wiped her eyes. She wrote it with her heart and soul. All her blood, sweat and tears were written into that poem for her baby, or as she put it, rugrat. Melinda closed the book and checked her wristwatch. She should go to the day care to pick up Chuckie about now.

She got into her car and drove off to pick him up. This would also be a good time to start weaning him. Melinda looked around and stopped as she saw several mothers with their babies and taking them home. She heaved a sigh seeing those wonderful women in their childrens' lives. Melinda opened her car door as another woman who didn't seem to be American opened her door at the same time.

"Hey! Watch vere you are going, American!" the woman scoffed.

Melinda glanced back at her. "Sor-ry... It was an accident!"

"Oh, I am sure it was... You better have a good lawyer and not let it happen AGAIN!"

"What's your problem!?"

"Just stay out of my vay, you filthy American! How dare you not know who I am! I never vant to see you again!"

Melinda rolled her eyes, then went inside the daycare center. "I don't want to see you again either..." she muttered to herself to the angst French woman. She then smiled once she saw a younger woman holding her baby. "Oh, there's my favorite person in the world!" she beamed.

Chuckie smiled and reached out for his mother.

"Was he a good boy?" Melinda asked, rhetorically and held her son.

"Oh, yes, very great, Mrs. Finster, he's the most well-behaved child I had ever seen, though he seemed to be afraid of his oatmeal." the woman explained.

"Oh, Chuckie, don't be scared... Mommy's here now." Melinda cuddled with her baby.

The two women shared a few last words, then she went back to her car to get back home and give Chuckie a nice lunch at home. Melinda went in her room while Chuckie ate a bit, but she came back so she wouldn't be gone too long. She hated that she had to do this to Chuckie at an early age, but she couldn't do it any sooner. Chuckie finished his food and smiled once Melinda came back.

"Hi, sweetie, ready for your milk?" Melinda asked.

Chuckie, of course, could not give a clear answer. The boy instead put his food bowl on his head.

Melinda laughed and took it off and gently cleaned him. "Okay, we're going to do something different today... You're going to have formula!"

Chuckie grunted and didn't want change. Melinda could tell Chuckie was a lot like his father and didn't like change. His mother could understand his reluctance, she didn't want to do this either, but she had to. Melinda was able to get the bottle in Chuckie's mouth, but he was still uneasy about it.

"Honey, I know this is tough, but we all have to accept some change every time or another..." Melinda whispered sadly.

Chuckie was still not going to do it.

Melinda sighed, but kept trying to give him the bottle. She had done this with several farm animals before when they were taken away from THEIR mothers. Chuckie was calm and confident with Melinda, but he just didn't want this 'yucky' milk. Weaning Chuckie was going to be a lot harder than she thought. More hard than having this news about her cancer.


	13. Chapter 13

Melinda was relieved to wake up days after that she wasn't going to wake up again. She was really going to have a tough time to go to bed one night and never wake up the next morning. Three months had passed and Melinda was still alive and well, but now and then, she discovered slight changes. This morning had another change, though it wasn't about her thankfully. She still had all her hair, but she had a cough that sounded more serious than a regular everyday cough or a common cold cough.

The Finster family shared a nice breakfast together. Chaz decided to take it so Melinda could take it a bit easy. He had made everyone eggs, sunny side up for the adults and mushy and cheesy scrambled eggs for little Chuckie who sat in his high chair. Chaz decided this would be good to so he could experiment his times as a single parent which would eventually come, but he really hoped not too soon.

"Did you hear Stu and Did are going to have a baby of their own?" Chaz asked as he fed Chuckie another spoonful of eggs.

Melinda took a sip of her juice and looked at him. "No, I knew about Betty and Howard's twins, but not them. Is it going to be a boy or a girl?"

"They don't know yet," Chaz said. "Stu's really keen on naming his child after his mother if it's a girl since Drew named his daughter Angelica."

Melinda shrugged, but smiled. "I guess Chuckie is going to have more friends to play with eventually... I hate to leave this world and let him grow up without anyone to know."

"Oh, I'm sure our friends will stay and give Chuckie playmates. Making new friends can be scary... I should know."

"You seemed fine when I first met you, Charles."

"The others just talked me into meeting you... I was really shy and nervous, I didn't think someone as beautiful and sweet as you would go for a frail, pasty guy like me."

Melinda patted his hand. "I love you no matter what, I like you for the inside Chaz Finster you are. Chaz Finster on the inside is a very calm, gentle, patient man who is a wonderful father and husband."

"And the Melinda Finster on the inside is a very warm, loving mother and the best wife I could ask for."

"Hey, I'm your only wife!" Melinda playfully teased.

Chaz grew nervous, then saw the smirk on her face that she was only kidding and laughed with her. Chuckie didn't understand what was going on around him, but he laughed along with his parents. Chaz and Melinda let out a big whoop. It was his first laugh.

"I wonder if I'll get to meet Stu and Didi's baby or Betty and Howard's twins..." Melinda sighed, looking out the window as the wind blew around. "I bet they'll be wonderful children..."

"Don't say that, Melinda," Chaz tried to calm her down. He could understand why she was thinking like that, but he didn't want it implanted on his mind that she would be gone soon. "We don't know what the future will bring, but you will keep it bright. Even after you're gone, you will be wonderful, I know it. You might not be with me and Chuckie physically, but you'll be with us mentally... In our hearts... I will tell him about anything you want me to tell him."

Melinda looked back at him with a sad smile. "I would like to, if you would, show him my things when Mother's Day comes..." she blinked, feeling shaky and nervous inside, but strong and bold outside. "You can show him anything, from my photographs to my diary."

"Your diary?" Chaz's face paled. "Melinda, I would never read your diary now, I don't know if I could once that time comes."

"I know you can, Charles, you're stronger and braver than you think you are."

"No, Melinda, I'm a coward..."

"Charles, you may be easily scared than anyone else I had ever known, but I know deep down inside, you are a strong, brave, intelligent, man worthy of doing anything."

"Melinda..."

"Charles, don't just believe in me, believe in yourself."

Chaz looked down at the table, then back at her, smiling a little, looking into her eyes. This was no doubt going to be hard, but he was going to have to use all his strength to get through it himself. He heaved a sigh and had a crooked smile to settle himself for Chuckie's sake. The baby seemed to be fussy with his high chair and Chaz decided to take him out and let him watch cartoons.

"Why don't you get some rest?" Chaz offered, carrying their son. "I'll take this one."

"Okay, Charles." Melinda smiled delicately.

Chaz smiled and walked off with Chuckie. Melinda looked back and smiled. She could have sworn that her infant son was waving good-bye to her as he was going into the living room with Chaz. Melinda finished her breakfast lightly and put her dishes in the sink to wash up for a bit and she decided to go back up to her and Chaz's bedroom. The woman thought a lot about her life as she settled into her side of the bed.

The strawberry blonde woman was born a farmer's daughter, September 13th, 1957. She was a very happy and healthy baby. The doctors didn't think so though once she was born, Melinda had trouble breathing a week or two after she was born and the doctors concluded she may die at a young age. Thankfully, with the right treatment, she was treated and was able to live a lot longer than anticipated. Melinda often played a mother to the farm animals she grew up with, she was very different from the other girls in school, but as long as she had the animals, she was happy.

Melinda's parents and helpers often took care of the animals as well, being the farmers and all. Mrs. Cavanaugh would get the milk and eggs to help her breakfast and meal recipes for the family with Melinda's help when she was a lot younger. Melinda was taught how to feed the animals which also inspired her to be like a lot of little girls and want to be a mother.

Mrs. Cavanaugh grew very sick at one point which led to the girl moving far away from the farm and ending up to meet her future gang of friends who had accepted her more than anyone else ever would besides the 'singing cows', and the 'chatty ducks', and the 'cocky roosters' as she and her mother put it. Melinda was homesick at first, but once she met her friends like Chaz, she felt a lot happier.

The former farmer girl felt strange with her childhood friends growing up and getting married before she did herself. It felt like she was getting old like her parents, but not as old as Stu and Drew's father. He seemed to be a natural grandfather, even before Angelica was born. Melinda was now thinking of the future. How would Chuckie grow up in this world? What kind of friends would he make? Would he even know or forget her? Several of these questions flooded and overwhelmed Melinda's mind as she was trying to get some peaceful rest. This news outbreak of her disease was mainly the talk of her brain, heart, and soul and she found it tough to ignore it.

You can't just ignore something that's plugged into you that will eventually end your long and rewarding life. Melinda wished she could though, but she just couldn't help but think of the future of her husband and son now. She also had to wonder if Chaz would ever remarry. He had told her countless times he wouldn't, but Melinda said that she wouldn't mind either way. She knew she couldn't be replaced, but Chuckie needs a mother after all. Melinda's father didn't remarry, but she just had to wonder if Chaz would or not. (A/N: Got most of this info from Rugrats Wiki so don't flame me)

Melinda and Chaz decided to meet Stu and Didi and catch up on old times. Stu felt really squeamish to be around Melinda. He hadn't been the same around death and disease ever since his own mother died and he tried his very best not to offend his best friend and wife's friend.

"It really won't be the same without you, Melinda." Didi said, she was barely showing, mostly due to it just being her first month of pregnancy.

"Ah, it won't be that much different," Melinda shrugged. "Just think of back before I moved into the neighborhood."

"That really was different..." Chaz mumbled.

"How long ago did you get pregnant, Didi?" Melinda asked.

"Just three weeks ago, actually," Didi said, nearly smiling. "I can't believe I'm going to be a mother... Well, I've always wanted to be a mother. I'm always reading Dr. Lipschitz, plus I'll have to take some time off from work, but the kids were kind enough to organize a 'Going Away For a Little While' Party once I get closer into the trimester."

"Kids?" Melinda wondered.

"Oh, I guess I forgot to tell you, I work in the public high school now as a health teacher," Didi explained with a smile. "I just imagine sometimes what it would be like if I had a child and they wound up having me as their teacher... It would probably be weird on them."

"Probably," Melinda shrugged. "High School was stressful though, I wonder who has more stress, the students or the teacher."

"I'd say the teacher." Chaz laughed a little.

Didi glanced at him, but looked back at Melinda. "Maybe our babies can play together sometime..."

Melinda still smiled, as Didi and Chaz talked about that, but inside, she was a little grim again. She feels sad knowing that with this terrible cancer that she wouldn't be able to see her sweet little Chuckie grow up, but she feels she'll be lucky enough to meet the DeVille twins and the newest addition to the Pickles family. Melinda looked over and saw Stu playing with Chuckie while the other grown-ups talk. Melinda couldn't help but laugh at Stu's child-like wonder and thought he was a great guy with kids. Maybe when she had to go to the hospital a bit more, she and Chaz could get him and Didi to look after little Chuckie.


	14. Chapter 14

Six months passed. Every day Melinda wrote in her diary the very best she could with mementos for her husband and son and she placed in one of her flowers in every entry she wrote. Melinda had changed physically this time, she had lost all her hair and was now wearing a bandanna like her mother did before her. She still struggled with getting Chuckie on the bottle, but she never gave up. Shirley and Marvin came to visit as both women were on the couch and Melinda was trying to get Chuckie to let again take formula milk.

"Sweetie, I know it's not Mama's milk, but you'll love this." Melinda told Chuckie.

"It really was hard to get Chaz on the bottle," Shirley sighed, watching her grandson fuss with the change. "But after five years, he still insisted on drinking from a bottle."

"Chaz drank from a bottle to kindergarten?" Melinda wondered, not meaning to offend, but was merely curious.

"Oh, yes," Shirley smiled friendly. "He was always a bit slower than the other kids... He was the last one in first grade to successfully tie his shoes or write the number five properly. I still love him."

Melinda smiled. "And I love Chuckie."

"How are you holding up, Melinda?" Marvin came over with a glass of water for himself.

"I'll be okay, Marvin," Melinda assured him, gently, then patted her hairless head. "This'll do until my hair grows back."

"You sure you don't want a wig? I hate to see anyone make fun of a pretty face like you."

"It's okay, really, besides, I love Chaz, he's the only man for me and I'm sure I'm the only woman for him."

Chaz came then, as if on cue as he was mentioned a lot in their conversation. He had his jacket on. "They're ready for us, Melinda."

Melinda smiled. "Okay, excuse us." she handed Chuckie to Shirley and went up with Chaz, grabbing her own jacket and went with him to get to the hospital.

Marvin and Shirley waved from inside the house as they held Chuckie. The Finsters drove off and went to the hospital. Melinda felt relieved to be going there and not just about her sickness and untimely death she was not anticipating. Today was a very special November for a couple of friends of theirs as they went in. Didi and Stu were going to come too, but Didi was lying around at home due to her being a bit closer along with her pregnancy as it was finally catching up with her. They had told everyone they were supposed to be having a boy, so Trixie Pickles wouldn't be brought into the world, instead, they were considering names like Thomas.

"We're here to see Betty and Howard DeVille." Melinda told the nurse behind the desk.

"Oh, yes, they just had twins," the nurse smiled, then went to the back. "Follow me."

"You sure you don't wanna come in and meet the twins for the first time?" Melinda looked back at her nervous husband.

"Uhh... You go on without me..." Chaz told her, still feeling squeamish.

Melinda sighed, shaking her head, then followed the nurse. She walked in the room and saw Howard's face very pale with a bandaged up hand. Melinda looked down at him.

"Are you okay, Howard?"

The curly-haired man looked up at her. "Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine... Betty just needed a friendly hand." he showed his badly battered hand.

Melinda winced a bit, but then looked over and saw Betty resting with two bundles in her arms. One had a blue blanket and the other had a pink blanket. They had been a boy and girl after all. Melinda smiled fondly and stepped over to see her friend with the little rugrats. There was a man next to Betty who had scarlet hair with a grisly beard.

"Oh, hello." Melinda saw him.

"Hey!" the man greeted.

Betty woke up and saw Melinda. "Hey, Mel, you made it! Where's Chaz?"

"Oh, you know Chaz and hospitals." Melinda shrugged, laughing a bit. "Who's this man?"

"Oh, you guys never met," Betty smiled apologetically. "Melinda, this is my brother, Freddie, Freddie, this is my friend from childhood, Melinda. She's the one married to Chaz."

Freddie chuckled a bit and shook her hand. "Nice to meet ya."

"And these must be the twins." Melinda looked at the bundles.

"Yep, luckily the doctor could tell them apart," Betty laughed, showing the twins' faces. "This is Phil and that's Lil."

"Hi, Phil, hi, Lil..." Melinda whispered gently, not expecting the twins to say anything back to her. "Oh, they're so beautiful, Betty..."

The twins slowly opened their eyes. The blue bundle had a pink bow, which made the pink twin grab it and place it in her hair. Melinda wasn't sure if she imagined that or not, it seemed as though the twins were fighting over the bow or to prove each other's differences. Aside from the bow, the twins looked like clones. Even Betty as their mother got them confused.

"Did you hear that Stu and Didi are going to have a boy?" Melinda asked her friend once the twins tuckered each other out and fell back asleep.

"Well, of course, we live next door after all." Betty smiled.

A doctor stepped in and gave Betty and Howard the twins' birth certificates. They just had to sign them, but of course, Betty would have to do it later once she was well enough to go home.

The doctor smiled at them and stepped toward Melinda. "Could I speak to you, Mrs. Finster? I had been meaning to see you for a while now."

Melinda sighed. This wasn't a normal hospital visit after all to see friends. She felt like she was only in the hospital these days to prepare herself for her early grave. The doctor told Chaz too come in too, but luckily, there wasn't going to be any loose bodily fluids or anything stomach wrenching like that.

"Mrs. Finster, I'm sorry to tell you this, but you're going to have to stay overnight in the hospital for some surgeries a while." the doctor told her grimly.

"B-But what about our baby?" Melinda asked, fully concerned.

The doctor sharply sighed. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Finster... Though, I promise, you can spend one last week with your family before you need surgery."

"Thank you, doctor..."

The doctor nodded his head and left the two alone. Melinda and Chaz looked at each other. This parenting thing was going to be a lot harder than they expected. Was it a good idea to have children after finding out this news? On one hand, of course obviously, Chuckie was going without a mommy, something that every child needs in their lives. On the other hand, at least Chuckie would have Phil and Lil, and Stu and Didi's future child to play with. This was still a very overwhelming experience they were undergoing.

Eventually, the time for Melinda to be hospitalized came. No one was around to take Chuckie home from day care around noon and Chaz was very busy with his own job. Melinda and Chaz eventually decided as well that Chuckie could stay with Stu and Didi. It would give them good parenting exercise outside of Didi constantly studying that Lipschitz character who Melinda honestly believed was a quack.

Chuckie cried endlessly as soon as Chaz left for work the first time and knowing his mother would be in the hospital for a while and not knowing when she would be back home. Stu tried to get Chuckie to stop crying, but it was very stressful and hard to do it.

"Deed, he won't stop!" Stu panicked as Chuckie wailed. "Couldn't Chaz take Chuckie to the hospital with him? We're not Chaz and Melinda after all!"

"The hospital might scare him, Stu," Didi replied. "Maybe he wants someone to play with."

"Yeah... That could be it. Why don't we call Betty and Howard and get them to bring the twins?"

"I'll call them."

Didi quickly dialed the number for next door. Both Pickles adults were worried about leaving the house with a baby that wasn't their own crying. The DeVille's agreed and had them come meet Chuckie. The babies sat in a small circle together and babbled among each other.

"I wonder what on Earth they're talking about." Didi wondered as she smiled that Chuckie was now calm and settled, but he still missed his parents.

"At least he's not lonely with his parents anymore," Stu smiled a bit. "Chaz going to work and visiting Melinda at night..."

"I just hope Chaz doesn't get too clingy once Melinda passes... Death is a serious thing."

"Yeah, I know... I wasn't the same after my mother and uncle died..."

"I didn't know you had an uncle, Stu." Didi looked at her husband.

"You don't remember hearing my Pop's stories?" Stu looked back at her. "'Back in my day, my brother and I would fif-TEEN miles to school and back, through rain or snow'!"

Didi laughed a bit. "Oh, yeah, I think I know what you mean now." She then felt a strange feeling in her stomach. She put her hand on her stomach and felt the sensation again. "Oh, Stu, I think the baby's kicking!"

"Really?" Stu got excited and put his hand on his wife's stomach and felt the kick. "Whoa, that felt weird!" he laughed. "How does it feel for you?"

"It feels like I ate some fried foods and it's coming back up in a good way." Didi wasn't sure how to explain it. Once you experience it yourself, it's hard to let someone in on it.

"Must be magical... I wonder what kind of toys he'll play... I wonder what friends he'll make... I wonder what he'll grow up to be like. Hey, why don't I make some toys?"

"Stu..." Didi rolled her eyes, knowing where this was going.

"Just think, Didi, I stop being a stay-at-home dad and become a toy inventor!" Stu proclaimed. He then went down and swooped Chuckie up in his hands, nearly in the air. "I'll make toys for every boy and girl of every age!"

Chuckie giggled a little at Stu's child-like tendencies.

Didi took Chuckie back and held him close to her so he wouldn't get hurt. "I don't know, Stu. You think you could do it? Where would you work?"

"I'll just use the basement," Stu suggested. "You go to work in the school and when I'm not taking care of the new baby, I'll be making new toys for the community."

"Are you sure you can do this, Stu?"

"Come on, Didi, I always said 'a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do'."

"You don't say that..."

"Oh? Well, I'm gonna start today!"

Phil and Lil seemed to have trouble staying awake.

"I think it's nap time." Didi said, picking Lil up while Stu took Phil.

The adults took the babies to the baby's room. It used to be a spare room, but it was all painted blue now and was made for the new baby. Until their son would be born, Stu and Didi used it for when they would look after Phil and Lil for Betty and Howard. Didi tucked everyone in snuggly and kissed them all gently, even if she wasn't any of their mothers and went out the door with Stu.

"This parenting thing isn't too bad..." Stu spoke up.

"I'm sure we'll be able to handle it once we have our own, after all, I'm teaching high schoolers." Didi shrugged, smiling simply.

Later on, Betty and Howard took their twins back home. It wasn't until very late Chaz came back for Chuckie. The baby was asleep and Didi handed him back to his father.

"You know, Charles, it would probably best if you took Chuckie with you to see his mother," Didi suggested. "I read about these things and Chuckie really missed you and Melinda."

"I don't know, it could be scary for a little guy like Chuckie..." Chaz said, uneasily, looking down at the sleeping infant.

"I know, at least you're thinking of him and what's best, but I read this in Lipschitz. He says it's important for the infant to be close to their mother, for as long as possible."

"Gosh, I never thought about that... You think they would let Chuckie see Melinda?"

"I don't see why they wouldn't," Didi smiled at her husband's best friend. "They always let family in, so why not little Chuckie?"

Chaz smiled at her and looked down at Chuckie. "I'll do it tomorrow... Thanks for watching him though, Didi."

"Of course, Chaz. See you later and tell Melinda my greetings."

"Thanks again, bye Didi!"

The two waved to each other and walked off to go their separate ways. Chaz heaved a sigh. Seeing Melinda under all that medication and all those doctors having to take care of her. Yes, he was glad they were treating her, but it just gave him an unsettling sick feeling to his stomach. He drove back home and he cheered up once he saw Chuckie in the mirror and falling asleep in the car seat. Chaz knew what he had to do. He had to get over his sickly personal thoughts of hospitals and visit Melinda more often. This time, with Chuckie by his side. He just hoped that it would work out well enough for both of them.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was a hard one to write. I am very sorry for writing this chapter, but I had to. You all saw it coming and I'm very sorry. I was inspired for most of this from the ending to the 1973 movie of Charlotte's Web. Please forgive me for doing this, but you know it had to be done. There will be more after this though, I promise, the story does not end here. Thank you all who take the time to read & review this, I really appreciate it. More kind reviews are accepted, as well as a box of tissues or a pillow.

Chaz took Didi's advice firmly. He decided to take some time-off from work to spend more time with Chuckie and Melinda. He had never worked this hard in his life, not even before preparing for an extreme school test he had nearly spent a full semester studying for.

While everyone was sending tokens of love and heavy support to the Finster family, Melinda was still writing in her diary. She had brought it with her for when she wouldn't be on heavy medication due to her ill-fated disease. She begged for it to be over with soon, but she knew once it would be over, she would eventually die. Over the course of a whole month, Chaz would bring Melinda a new flower every day to keep in her diary. Every new diary entry had a new flower which was what made Melinda herself. She also remembered the poem she wrote for Chuckie and decided to recite it as Chaz would someday come with their friends to see her one last time before she closes her diary forever, not only ending another chapter in her personal book, but on her life.

One day, Didi called Chaz before he went to the hospital again, and everyone agreed to come meet Melinda and Chaz with Chuckie. Even bringing the twins over when Betty and Howard accepted. The doctors cleared out the room to have a little reunion party with Melinda, who was formerly the new girl in town and now just their closest and most best friend any one of them could ask for. Drew and Charlotte were apologetic they couldn't come, but they sent their love and support and had mentioned Angelica had taken her first steps properly and was almost speaking fluently. Her favorite words were 'mommy', 'daddy', 'cookie', and of course, her father's pet name for her, 'princess'.

"Thanks for coming, Didi." Melinda said, her voice wasn't as chipper as it used to be, she was nearly fading away everyday she spent in the hospital.

"I had to come for an appointment anyway," Didi told her, smiling. "I just got the sonogram for little Tommy."

"Really?" Melinda took one to see with a weak smile. "That's beautiful... I'm sure he'll look just like Stu."

"So you know he'll be handsome." Stu grinned then.

Everyone laughed a bit from that remark.

However, Chaz didn't. He did his best to hold back tears, because he knew that Melinda wasn't doing well and she would be lucky if she lived another day. No one knew it for sure, but Melinda was on her final days, it wouldn't long until she would be up there in Heaven with her parents. It also wouldn't be too long until Tommy would be born. That just made Chaz feel really eaten up inside. He knew he would get over this sooner or later, but it was just very painful and unbearable. He also had often cried himself to sleep while Chuckie would sleep peacefully in his crib. Chaz just wished it could had been him instead of Melinda suffering.

Another month came and gone. The group decided to see Melinda together again after Chaz and Chuckie saw her what was mentioned to be one of her last weeks she would live. She was on life support and she could barely talk anymore. Stu and Didi came, Betty and Howard came, but this time left the twins with a babysitter. Melinda couldn't say much, but she could still sing like the angel Chaz fell in love with 20 years ago.

Melinda held Chuckie close who had wanted to be with his mommy again. The woman sang a song she grew up with. Everyone was touched by her wonderful singing. Chuckie's eyes were feeling heavy as he heard what felt like in his baby mind to be a lullaby. She was singing Mother Earth and Father Time. It just made her think back to growing up on the farm and she used it to sing to Chuckie when he felt afraid at times. Her mother sang it to her when she would have stormy nights back on the farm. As Melinda got to the final verse, she slowly shut her eyes as did Chuckie. The baby boy was on his mother's stomach and had fallen asleep. The beeps were fading on the life support and they stopped instantly as Melinda finished the song.

"Melinda? Melinda! MELINDA!" Chaz cried out, as his wife was now no longer with them.

Chuckie was fast asleep, nuzzled against his mother who was completely unaware of things going on around him. Stu decided to take his best friend out of the room and let it all out. If this was hard on anyone, it was definitely him. Chaz had been in love with Melinda ever since she first came to their neighborhood. The others came and hugged Chaz all together and Chaz clung on tight to Chuckie as Melinda was peacefully lying in the hospital bed, no longer painfully suffering. It was a fortunate death however. The sun was setting, the leaves were changing color as the wind blew outside to show the colorful leaves. Fall. Melinda's favorite season.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was the original ending to the story, but I had another plan in mind about Melinda's afterlife, I thought it was dumb when I thought about it again, but it'll be added as it was to this story.

Chaz was not the same ever since Melinda passed away. He was suffering from more grief than anyone else who had known the girl. This is justified since Chaz was in love with her and was able to marry her. She could have had any other guy on the block who was stronger and handsome. She could have married Drew instead of Charlotte, he was very powerful and nearly rich from his job. She could have had that dirty Rex from school, who was now an obnoxious news reporter, but nope.

She chose Chaz Finster as her own. He had a hard time sleeping and when he finally did get to sleep, he just wanted to never wake up. He wanted Melinda's death to be a bad dream, but it wasn't, this was just the bitter cruel reality he was forced to live in. He just wondered what became of her now. Chaz was just jealous of Chuckie because he was only a baby and would never have to live with this like he would because Melinda's disappearance would just be a faint memory to him, right?

However, Chuckie was really thinking about his mommy. He just thought Melinda was asleep and she would be up very soon. She would be back in the house and provide warmth and comfort for everyone in her family and maybe even allow Chuckie to become a big brother. Melinda knew Chuckie was too young to understand, but she had been honest and told the boy he came from the hospital. She decided to tell Chuckie everything a mother could tell their child as they would grow up, but Melinda would be absent for a lot of important moment's in the baby's life. She would miss Chuckie going through puberty, his first steps, his first word, his first day of school.

Only a few days passed, it felt like a year to Chaz. It was time for the visitation and funeral for Melinda. Chaz wore what he wore to his and Melinda's wedding, a black suit, but he ditched his purple bow tie and put on a black one to fit with the death theme. He knew he would have to deal with death sometime or another, but he had always hoped it wouldn't had been this soon. Chaz just wondered what his wife was doing now in Heaven. He looked through endless photographs of her and took the one he loved the most, when they were pronounced husband and wife and she kissed him on the cheek and he held her close with her bridal bouquet. Chaz swallowed hard and put his pocket.

Shirley and Marvin came as well to take care of Chuckie after the funeral would start. It would be best if Chuckie saw his mother one last time before he would then grow curious about what happened to her as he got old enough to understand. Chaz even packed away the bear Melinda made for Chuckie or as the baby called it 'Wawa'. It would bring back too many staggering memories if Chuckie would sleep with it and he'd tuck the little guy in.

Chuckie was unaware of what was going on around him. All the grown-ups were dressed in black, even his grandparents. He brightened up once he saw a picture of his mother next to a strange box he didn't see there. Chuckie cooed and babbled toward the box. Chaz sadly held Chuckie, looking down with a grim face and he stepped forward to allow the baby to see his mother one last time in person. Chaz held back any possible tears, but got choked up as soon as Chuckie reached for the corpse of Melinda who had her eyes shut and a smile on her face, but she was paler than any of the Finster clan.

"Ma... Ma... Ma..." Chuckie babbled. He got out of Chaz's arms and crawled on top of Melinda. "Ma..." he was trying to wake her up, but he couldn't. Melinda wasn't simply napping or sleeping like Chuckie thought she was, but Melinda wasn't ever going to wake up and hold him in her arms again. "Ma?" he had no use and tried to fall asleep with her again.

The other adults saw this happen. It was cute, but a bummer that Chuckie was trying to wake Melinda up from her endless afternoon nap, but this was no nap. Melinda would never hear her son speak, cry, or whine ever again. Shirley decided to take Chuckie for Chaz's sake and put the baby in her strong, grandmotherly arms.

"Ma...?" Chuckie looked up at his grandmother, then back at the dead woman who had given him life.

"I'm sorry, Chuckie..." Shirley said softly to the boy. Little did she know, the baby could actually understand everything she was saying, but he couldn't respond due to his baby talk not understood by the adults, but only by other babies. "I'm sorry..." she repeated her apology softly and held him tight while she started to cry for her daughter-in-law, who, was no doubt, the closest thing to a daughter she ever had.

Chaz averted his gaze on Melinda's dead body and hung his head. He just wanted this to be all over very fast. Later, it was time for the funeral to start and being the widower, Chaz was to give the eulogy. He had what he wanted to say before the box would close and Melinda would be in her new home to underneath the grave. Chaz never did like public speaking and he also had to deliver the piece for the late Melinda Cavanaugh-Finster.

The red-headed man took out his card to read from, but he just couldn't do it. He was too nervous and sad to deliver the speech. He broke down crying. Howard and Stu frowned for him and came to him, patting the man on the back as he broke down crying on the podium. Didi kept telling Chaz that Melinda wouldn't want to see him sad, but Chaz couldn't help it, he just felt too sad. Instead, Marvin decided to deliver the elugy while Chaz was in the back with Shirley and Chuckie.

The baby felt so sad for his father and looked over and saw the casket as Chaz stood up. The people of the funeral home picked up Melinda's casket. Chuckie looked down at it to see his mother for the very last time as the casket was closed and Chaz broke down crying even more.

Chaz and the others were now outside. The sky was gray and everyone was hanging their heads, but of course, no one was as sad or in grief as Chaz was. He just didn't want Melinda to be in that box and to be put underground. He nearly lost it when the burial was finished and the shovels patted the dirt and marked Melinda's grave. Chuckie now understood that his mother was not sleeping and was never going to wake up and see her favorite boys again. Chuckie started crying and Chaz came to support him, but wound up crying himself. This was truly the saddest day of anyone's lives.

The Pickles and DeVilles left to get back to their own homes, but Chaz and Chuckie stayed behind with Melinda. It was still bleak in the sky with no signs of happiness. The emotion known as happiness was now dead and buried. The gentle autumn wind blew though, blowing Chaz's hair back as Chuckie felt it too, feeling a little calm. Some of the leaves from the future dying trees for winter were blown off and they had fallen onto Melinda's grave with Fall being her favorite season. It was a perfect end to a bitter demise.

Several days after the funeral, Chaz was still taking some time off from work, it would be awhile before he could go back and be his normal, happy, geeky self again. Shirley and Marvin were staying over too to help him look after little Chuckie.

The little rugrat was not as fine as everyone thought he was. He was just as upset about Melinda's death as a child of an older age would to be able to understand. He woke up every night screaming and crying, making Chaz leave the safety and warmth of his cold solitude feeling bed and go into the boy's room. Chuckie kept crying until his daddy would come save him from any nightmare he may had suffered from.

"Aw, Chuckie, it's okay..." Chaz held the baby, trying to soothe his tears and fears from a dooming bad dream. "Do you miss your mommy?"

Chaz could have sworn that Chuckie had nodded.

"Chuckie, it's okay, your mommy never wanted you to be sad or afraid... Come on, let's go to Daddy's room," Chaz left the baby's room and went into his own room. "There, there..." he didn't want to wake his parents. They were good with helping Chaz being a parent, but he was determined to be a fully functional single parent when not busy with work, but at least Stu, Didi, Betty, and Howard lived around. Chaz sat on the bed and took out Melinda's old things such as Wawa, the diary, the photographs. "Chuckie, this is your mommy..." he smiled sadly, taking out a picture of the woman at a swap meet they organized together before Chuckie was born.

Chuckie looked at the picture with awe. He smiled and poked the photograph of his mother in the nose. "Ma..." he babbled.

"Yes, Mommy." Chaz smiled back down at him. He was sure that was what the boy was trying to say anyway. He wanted to read the poem that Melinda left for Chuckie in her diary, but he found himself too heartbroken to take the time to read it. It was too soon and too much to cope with.

Chaz continued to let Chuckie see the pictures of Melinda to settle him. Even though Melinda wasn't living anymore, Chaz told the boy that his mother was with them in spirit, anyway. In the wind, the birds, the bees. Chaz saw that Chuckie was now settling in and was able to go back to bed alone. Chaz tucked Chuckie back in and he released a sharp exhale.

The Finster man went inside his bedroom after letting Chuckie sleep a peaceful night away. He then looked at Melinda's things. They brought both pleasant and painful memories. He couldn't bear a lot of them and decided to keep them away for now until Chuckie was older. Chaz put everything in an old box and put them in the bedroom closet along with the fish Melinda never really liked. Chaz looked solemnly at the stuff and was on his way to close the door with a tear dripping down his cheek.

"Good-bye, Melinda," he whispered. "I'll always love you and never forget you."

The next morning, Chaz was still hurt inside, but he was almost in the stage of moving on with his life. It was a normal morning, Shirley had made breakfast and Chaz helped. He always loved helping her in the kitchen. Marvin sat next to Chuckie and was very happy his grandson was cheerful again like all babies should be.

"Charles, you seem to be in a good mood," Shirley smiled at her only child. "Think you'll be okay if we go back home tomorrow?"

"Sure, Mom," Chaz shrugged. "It's a new day and a new beginning. Pretty soon I'll be getting a phone call about Stu and Didi's newborn child."

"You hear that buddy?" Marvin looked down at Chuckie. "You're going to have more friends to play with!"

Chuckie cooed and babbled, clapping his hands together.

Suddenly the telephone rang. Chaz had dried his hands and went to the phone, picking it up. "Hello? Oh, hi, Stu! Wait, slow down, what's happening?"

"DIDI'S GONE INTO LABOR!" Stu yelled from the other line, noticeably freaking out.

"Have you called the doctor?"

"YES, BUT NO ONE'S COME!"

"Stu, doctors don't make house calls anymore, just go to the hospital."

"Oh, okay... Anyway, Drew and Charlotte are here and we took Angelica to next-door, you better come over! But, don't bring Chuckie yet."

"Okay, Stu, settle down, I'll be right over!" Chaz quickly hung up and turned to his parents. "That was Stu, Didi's gone into labor."

"Goodness!" Shirley gasped.

"Do they need any help?" Marvin stood up, determined.

"I'm sure the doctor can handle it, Dad, could you please take Chuckie to Betty and Howard's so he won't be lonely?" Chaz asked.

"Sure, Charles." Shirley smiled.

"Okay, wish 'em luck for me." Marvin said, now holding Chuckie.

"Thanks," Chaz smiled, he took a quick piece of bread for some breakfast and rushed out to his car. He zipped back and kissed Chuckie on the forehead, then dashed off to get to the hospital.

"He's going to be a great father." Shirley smiled, seeing how well her son was handling all of this after the death of his wife.

"Yeah, come on, we better go get this little guy to his playmates." Marvin said, tickling Chuckie's foot, making the baby giggle happily.

Betty and Howard decided to not go to the hospital today and instead look after everyone. They would then bring the kids all together to meet Stu and Didi's baby. Angelica was standing over Phil and Lil with her arms crossed as Shirley and Marvin dropped Chuckie off.

"Chaz gone to the hospital?" Howard asked, taking Chuckie in his arms.

"Yeah, he was exploding on the phone with that Stuart person." Marvin answered.

"Doesn't surprise me, those two are best friends for life." Howard said, smiling.

"Oh, Howard, where's Elizabeth?" Shirley asked, seeing the babies were alone in a playpen together.

"At the gym," Howard answered. "I took the day-off to work at home and look after everyone. I would've gone with her, but I had to work."

"Sure, Howard, that's why." Marvin chuckled, seeing that Howard was even more frail and weak as Chaz.

"How's Chaz been by the way?" Howard asked, grimly, referring to the death and funeral.

"He seems a lot better today that he's been for the past week, he should be all better by tomorrow." Shirley told him.

Angelica was now sitting on Phil, Lil, and Chuckie. However, the grown-ups weren't looking. They were just talking. After a couple of hours, Stu called the DeVille house. Howard thought it would be best if he brought the babies to meet their newest friend, so he picked up Betty on the way, while the kids sat in the back with their car seats. It took a lot of hard work to get them all strapped in together.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Betty asked as excited as a new older sister to a baby. "Is it a boy or a girl? I gotta know, I gotta know!"

"Stu said it was a boy, but I can't wait to meet him with the kids." Howard said, driving on the way to the hospital.

The group stopped and finally found a parking spot. Betty and Howard kept talking quietly as they came in the hospital and went to find Stu and Didi and possibly Chaz, who had come to them, wearing rubber gloves.

"It's a boy." Chaz told them.

"We know." Betty and Howard said to him.

Chaz looked at them, then looked down to see Chuckie. "Hey, little guy... Wanna see your new friend?"

Chuckie cooed quietly and smiled.

Adults and babies gathered together to see Didi and Stu. The man was happily looking over his new son and his wife who was now a mother. They were both very proud of each other and their newborn. Angelica was wobbly walking over and looking close.

"Angelica, this is your cousin, Tommy." Stu told the blonde girl.

Angelica came closer and looked at Tommy, who was now sleeping. "He not doing anythin'..." she spoke up, quietly.

"He's sleeping," Didi told her. "Babies need their sleep like you, or mommies and daddies."

"Soon, you two will be playing together all the time." Stu added delicately.

Chaz stood over with his baby son. "Chuckie, this is your new friend...I'm sorry, what did you say his name was?"

"Tommy." Didi told the man.

"Tommy," Chaz repeated and gently let Chuckie sit next to Tommy. "Chuckie, this is Tommy... He's going to be your best friend forever."

Betty held Lil and Howard held Phil. The twins looked at Tommy and were barely smiling. They hoped that they could be friends with the new baby too. Angelica was angry and jealous. She was mostly the center of attention in her family between her parents, aunt, and uncle, but now that she had a new cousin, she was no longer the center of attention. The kids she grew up with before moving back in town told her that a new baby gets all the love and attention and will try to steal her toys. She then vowed from then on to make sure she was still loved by her parents and other relatives.

Chuckie and Tommy were sitting next to each other. Chuckie was smiling a bit at newborn Tommy. The Pickles baby smiled with the Finster baby and they were instantly friends at first sight like Stu and Chaz were when they were younger. Tommy stretched a bit, but accidentally punched Chuckie, making him cry. The adults panicked about this, but then Tommy gave Chuckie a hug to make him stop crying. Chuckie stopped crying and started to laugh and cheer up.

"Awww..." the adults cooed.

Angelica huffed and continued to scowl at her new cousin with her arms folded. At least Tommy wasn't living with her and her mommy and daddy and she could still keep all their attention. Chaz had a real smile this time from Chuckie's laughter instead of a sad or grim one. He was really happy now and all the sad thoughts of his dead wife faded and dissolved from his mind. His heart was filled with joy to see his son happy and to have a new best friend to keep their minds off from Melinda's loss.


	17. Chapter 17

Melinda's afterlife was an interesting journey. She fell asleep in the hospital two years ago and saw a bright light. When she opened her eyes, her parents were coming for her to take her away to see them and her grandparents and any of her ancestors and lost friends over the years. She followed them and wound up in the fluffy cloud paradise that was Heaven. It was just as beautiful as she had imagined. A lot of angels floating around along the golden gates.

She was happy that she was in relief after what felt like an eternity of suffering. The woman really missed her husband and son, but she knew they would be fine. Melinda had been watching over her son Chuckie with his new friends and called them the rugrats fondly. The woman missed life, but she knew that her spirit wouldn't go back into the world it once came from. Melinda just had to watch her husband and son with their friends. She made a cloud in the sky to send to Earth, hoping Chuckie would see it, she was making herself holding Chuckie in her arms like she always did before her unfortunate passing.

Melinda was allowed to chose her destiny in the afterlife. She had wondered what it would be like if she were reincarnated into another animal. The woman floated with her wings to find the one in charge, He chose everyone's destiny and allowed true angels like Melinda to chose what she wanted to do for all eternity.

"What can I do for you?" the loud, baritone came from the one who created Heaven and Earth.

"Umm..." Melinda was nervous. She had heard many biblical stories and often prayed to God, but she never thought she would actually meet him. Plus, she couldn't tell Chaz or Chuckie that she did. That was the serious downside of going into the peaceful world of Heaven.

"You want to be with your husband and son again, don't you?"

"Yes, sir, very much so..." Melinda hung her head, sighing sharply. "I know I can't come back and see them, but can you at least take me to them now?"

"I let your soul visit them on family gatherings, but you want to be with them physically and not just emotionally?"

"Yes, sir... If it's not too much trouble."

"I'll see what I can do, Melinda..."

The woman nodded, accepting any kind of transformation of reincarnation she would undergo. There was a bright, golden light shimmering from God's hands, they were as big as two strong man built together. He then threw the ball against Melinda. The woman shut her eyes tight as the ball cast over her and everything was black. Melinda wasn't in Heaven anymore.

The woman was going around, but she seemed to had been crawling around. Was she a baby now? She wasn't sure. Melinda came close and looked in a mirror to finally see her new true form. She wasn't a baby, she wasn't even a human anymore! She sniffed the mirror instinctively, because she was actually now a dog. She was a purple poodle puppy with white fluff. Melinda wasn't sure what her life would be like now, but suddenly, all memories of her human life faded as she was now living like a dog and not just any dog.

She looked out the window and saw the Eiffel tower. She was in Paris just like she always wanted. She wondered now what her life would lead and suddenly, all memories from her past melted away as a human named Melinda Cavanaugh-Finster with a widowed husband and a son named Chuckie. She wandered about until she would start a new life as a poodle puppy and hopefully, a kind one would adopt her.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surprise, a new chapter update! Sorry if it seems weak in some points, I tried my best. This didn't come out completely as I had planned it. Also, I'm sure we all have, but spoilers in Rugrats in Paris if you haven't seen that movie. But then again, what Rugrats fan hasn't seen the Paris movie? it seems almost impossible! I tried my best and I hope where this is going so far. Also, is it any coincidence, that Coco LaBouche is played by Susan Sarandon and I hate that actress? Maybe that's why I hate her, cuz of Coco. Well, Read & Review! The more reviews the merrier! :) I'm glad I surprised you all with Melinda being reborn as Fifi.

The poodle puppy grew up in the shelter and was curled up in a ball. She was with the many other dogs as she waited to get adopted like the others. It almost seemed people wanted a litter of puppies and not a single one. Many children came and took the puppies, excluding the purple poodle. She wandered around the box alone and felt very miserable. She had no family, no home, almost nothing to keep her happy.

"Are there any cheins left?" a French man asked.

The poodle puppy's ears pricked up. She was the only dog left and she could now have attention. She dangled her tongue out from her mouth and her tail wagged as she leaned on the box. She saw the French man talking with the animal shelter owner.

"Oui, oui, Monsieur, we have one left." the owner told the other man.

"Ah, wonderful," the man came to the box and picked up the purple puppy. "Will she get any bigger?"

"But of course, sir, she is only a puppy."

"Hmm... That will have to do. Now, how much for the pooch?"

"Sir, we do not charge you for adopting a puppy into your family."

"Ah, excellent, come with me doggie!"

The shelter owner gave the man a leash to take the puppy home. The dog had a hard time adjusting to getting along on four legs, feeling she was not accustomed to that too much. She looked at the sights and sounds of Paris, France. She was not born there, she didn't know how she even got there. She was just a new poodle pup in town. She picked up a familiar scent, but now, she couldn't place it. She stopped and sniffed another dog who appeared to be another poodle, but was dragged away as she caught a whiff.

"Come on, doggie! You are going to your new mommy now!" the man snapped, nearly dragging her.

The pup didn't like this for some reason. She had an unsettling feeling in her stomach about her new owner. However, since this man was dragging her and calling her names, she couldn't have been as worse as this man with her now.

The pup looked up as they were taken to a special building and the pup saw a woman who seemed familiar somehow, but the pup had never seen her before. At least not as her poodle puppy form.

"Oh, Jean-Claude, is this my new friend?" the woman beamed, picking up the pup, feeling obsessed with her. "Bonjour, puppy-kins..."

The pup felt sick to her stomach, but she didn't know why. She was just in the grip of the slimy woman who seemed just as slimy as the man who had brought her in.

"Hello, you are not horrible..." the woman nuzzled her nose with the puppy's not as cold as a grown dog's nose. "You may be a child, but at least you are not with the crying, the yelling, and the beating me with a dumb old rattle! I hope I never have to see another child as long as I live..."

"Good luck with that, madame," Jean-Claude deadpanned. "You work for Euro-Reptar, a child's happiest place in the world of France."

The woman glowered at him. "At least this puppy won't be as much trouble as a spoiled brat child!"

"A puppy is as big a responsibility as a child, Coco... You have to feed it, walk it, clean up after it..."

"Oh, stuff it, Jean-Claude!" the woman, Coco, hissed. "I will just make you or Ms. Watanabe do such a thing! Speaking of which, where is that airhead of a woman?"

"She had some scheduled time off... I think she said something about meeting a man named Hiro."

"Whatever, I guess YOU will have to do for now." Coco placed the puppy on her desk and beamed at it. "Oh, you are going to make me love my job."

The puppy had a questionable whine.

"Well, of course you are," Coco petted it, though it was cold and stiff and not warm and loving like most dogs are accustomed to. "Dogs are a woman's best friend as the Americans say."

"I believe the phrase is man's best friend for dogs and diamonds are girls." Jean-Claude teased.

Coco glared at him. "Why are you still here!? BEAT IT!" she then turned to her pup, who did nothing, but stare at her. "Well, what are you waiting for? Chase him! Bark at him! Scratch him! Bite him! Pee on him! Do something!"

The puppy yawned a bit and curled up into a ball to take a nap.

"YOU FILTHY MONGREL!" Coco hissed, then took Jean-Claude out herself. "I guess I have to train you... Now, I think I know how to do this, but first you need a name... Now, what to name a dog?"

After several minutes of suggestions, Coco settled on naming the dog Fifi. Coco didn't focus on training and caring for the poodle pup like a good pet owner, but instead focused on dressing it up and treating it like a doll to work out any frustrations she had. Jean-Claude and Coco's closest assistant Kira were revealed that Coco was distracted from a lot of anger outbursts when she was with Fifi. They just hoped it would last long until they would organize a show for children about Reptar being a monster feared by all, but loved by a beautiful princess who saw the good in the giant lizard.

About half a year passed, Kira wasn't showing up for work often like she promised she would. The poodle had grown and was forced to being taken care of by Jean-Claude alone and not Coco, her trusted owner. Coco walked into her office and had an unpleasant surprise as she stepped in and heard a squishing noise. She looked down and grunted in disgust.

"JEAN-CLAUDE!" Coco snapped.

The man came in once his name was called in a threatening tone. "Oui, Madame LaBouche?"

"Fifi made a mess and you or Kira are to clean it up!" Coco snarled at him.

"I-I'm sorry, Madame, I thought Kira would be coming in today..."

"Yes, she has missed several days of work, has she not?"

Fifi was wandering inside while the two French adults would talk. She then found an open book with paper inside. There were important Euro-Reptar designs Coco was supposed to hand in for Mr. Yamaguchi today at their lunch meeting. Fifi was acting more like a dog now as she looked it and started to rip and shred it, feeling hungry.

"What is that tearing?" Coco heard the noise, feeling sharp.

"Sounds like your homework." Jean-Claude chuckled a bit.

Coco turned to see Fifi eating the papers. "NO! No, no, no, NO! YOU BAD DOG!" she tried to pull the papers from the poodle's mouth. "DROP IT NOW!"

Fifi grunted, then opened her mouth, making Coco flung backward and hit the door.

"Dumb mutt..." Coco growled at the poodle.

Fifi panted, then started to eat up more paper.

"Jean-Claude, I want you to take her out!" Coco demanded sharply.

The man nodded, then took Fifi out for a walk.

Coco growled. She tried to settle herself out and heard her phone ringing. She didn't know or care who it was. "This better be good..." she said through her clenched teeth. "Oh, Kira, hello there..." she said in a pleasant tone, then dropped her voice low to sheer anger. "WHY AREN'T YOU AT WORK!?"

"I-I-I'm sorry, Madame," Kira's tender voice was on the other line. "I told you, I was with child."

"I thought you said you were going to come with a child!"

"No, Madame... I'm pregnant and I'm in my final month, so I need to stay home for when my baby comes."

Coco growled. "Fine, but don't bring that filthy brat into my office when you come back to work as soon as you birth your spawn!"

"Madame, I prefer you to not call my unborn child that..."

"Whatever, just get back here as soon as possible!" Coco growled, hanging up the phone aggressively.

Fifi was brought back into the office a while after the walk. She was now sleeping so she couldn't cause any trouble. Something about Coco bothered Fifi and she didn't like her new owner. She missed the simple life she used to have that she didn't really remember that much about. The poodle imagined she had a much better life in her former life before reincarnation. Every night she would spend with Coco, she would look out the window and saw a twinkling star. She wasn't sure what it meant, but she deeply missed her former life that she didn't know she had.

Fifi also grew lonely. Her owner Coco didn't do much of caring for her and she would be cared for by Jean-Claude and Kira. Fifi would much rather live with Kira who actually seems caring to the humans the poodle grew up with. Not to mention Kira was going to have a child of her own someday. Something about Kira gave her a really good and pleasant feeling.

The poodle finally had enough of the evil French woman. She decided to be so bad with Coco that the woman would have no choice but to throw her out. This new life wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Almost a year later, one day when Kira was back for work after the announcement and birth of her little girl, Fifi decided to get out and be a bad dog. Not too bad to get a beating or be put down, but just rid of Coco and Jean-Claude.

Fifi tore up almost everything in Coco's office. She even took out a few koi fish and ate some. The desk was torn upside down. The whole place looked like a train wreck. The two important humans from Fifi's dog life came in and saw the mess.

"Shall I take Fifi out for a walk, Madame?" Jean-Claude asked.

"No," Coco snapped. "Get her out of my office. I NEVER want to see this filthy mutt ever again! Call the dog catcher! Call animal control! Call someone!"

Jean-Claude decided to do it himself. Normally he would simply call for Kira, but she was taking her daughter to daycare before she would be too late for her job. Fifi looked up at the man and whimpered a bit. Jean-Claude put Fifi on her collar and leash and called the dog catcher. Fifi saw the doors open as someone came in and she dashed out the door.

"HALT, DOGGIE!" Jean-Claude snapped.

Fifi ran out of the building. Eventually a dog-catcher came and was trying to capture the poodle. He was yelling threats to her and trying to net her, but it seemed almost impossible. Fifi had a strange, familiar scent in her nose, but she also couldn't place that. It seemed as though it came from her past of her former life. It was all coming back to her slowly, but for now, she had to get rid of this dog-catcher before he would take her to the pound, or as she saw it, a doggy prison. The scent seemed very strong, but she didn't have time to think or worry about it now.


	19. Chapter 19

Fifi wandered around the streets of Paris after escaping the dastardly dog-catcher. She was too smart for a human like that. The poodle somehow picked up a familiar scent, but she couldn't place it. Something about it really spoke to her, but she just couldn't use her dog brain to think of what it was. The people passed her, not acknowledging her either by ignoring her or just thinking she was a stray, even if she was briefly owned by the one and only Coco LaBouche. Still, someone or something was ticking her sniffer. She had found another dog the same size of her, but a different breed and it was male. Something about this dog gave Fifi a good feeling, they even wagged their tails together and Fifi felt like she was in her favorite movie as a human, Lady and the Tramp.

Chaz had the strangest feeling while in Paris. He was surprised he managed to have a beautiful woman like Coco tolerate and put up with him. Ever since he and Chuckie were invited to Stu and Drew's father's anniversary party with that nurse, Lulu, he felt like something was missing in his life. He remembered something tragic after being with Chuckie by himself a while with help here and there from Stu and Didi and his parents. Melinda. She would be gone almost two years, he also finally had the courage to let Chuckie discover things about who Melinda was and what happened to her, even visiting her grave. The first time he met Melinda would always stay with him, even if after dating Coco, he would still remember her fondly.

Chaz had to stop thinking about the beautiful world of Paris for a minute and remember Melinda now. She was his best friend, his protector, his nurturer, she was a natural mother long before Chuckie was even born. The man slowly shut his eyes as he remembered some things told about Melinda when he nearly had a nervous breakdown during the visitation and funeral of Melinda.

I'm really sorry for your loss, I felt the same way when my mother died. They're both angels on Earth and Heaven and they're watching over us right now, buddy. You can handle this, I know you can, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. - Stu.

Melinda was a wonderful woman and she helped Betty and I get over our fears about having our own children when she taught us about how beautiful and special it can be being a mother. I'm sure Chuckie will grow up to be a wonderful boy with her words of wisdom and your sole existence, Charles. - Didi.

Mel might have been a princess, but maybe she can be a Queen in the world of the great beyond. Don't worry about little Chuck, Howie and I will look after him if Stu and Didi are too busy like you are. Just don't work yourself to death as a single parent. -Betty.

This death caught me by surprise, Melinda was the greatest friend anyone of us could ever ask for. She was like an angel already when she first moved into our neighborhood and now she's watching over each and every one of us. -Howard.

Drew and Charlotte didn't come to the funeral because they had lived in a different place by then. They decided though to move back and help Chaz hopefully and healthily get over the mourning and loss. It was tough losing a parent, it was even harder to lose a child, but losing a spouse must be the toughest thing imaginable. Drew and Stu may had been older when their mother own died, but they were both thinking of how Chuckie must feel to grow up without a mother. He was only a tiny tot. A baby. Or in Melinda's words, a rugrat.

Chaz remembered their first babysitting adventure. Melinda had to babysit one night instead of coming over to study with Chaz. The nerdy boy decided he could learn with her if he would somehow, magically become a parent. Melinda and Chaz were young teenagers by then and not in the developmental stage yet. Chaz was just a nerdy kid and Melinda was a beautiful girl, with or without Charlotte's make-up advice.

Teenage Years

Melinda was looking after a little girl. She decided she would study after she would send the girl to bed and wait until the girls' parents would come home. Melinda was about to bake a pizza for the kid, then there was a knock at the door.

"I'll be right back, Sarah," Melinda smiled at the girl, then went to the door and answered. "Charles, what are you doing here?"

Chaz stepped in, looking a little nervous. "I-I just wanted to see how you were doing and umm... Could you teach me about babysitting?"

"Uhh... Okay, Charles," Melinda smiled and let him inside and shut the door as he walked in further. "Don't worry, Sarah's not that little, so no diaper changing or bottle feeding."

"Oh, hello, Sarah." Chaz smiled, looking down at the tan-skinned girl who seemed to have a rainbow of clothes.

"Hwi..." Sarah looked up at him shyly. "Mewinda, is he your boyfwend?"

Melinda laughed and shook her head. "No, Sarah, he's just a good friend of mine. That's all."

"Does he have cooties?"

"No, and even if he did, he'd still be my friend."

"Aw, okay..."

"Sarah, I'm going to get the pizza out, why don't you show Chaz your toys?"

"Okay, Mewinda!"

Melinda went into the kitchen.

Sarah took Chaz's hand and pulled him closer into the living room. She took out a microphone, a coloring book, some dolls, and a couple of videos. "These awe mine, I'm gonna be a singah when I gwow up big like you!"

"You can sing?" Chaz asked her, smiling. He did his best to be with his inner child, though it was hard for him at times.

"Of cowse I can!" Sarah giggled, then clicked the microphone which played lullaby music. "Twinka Twinka widdle stah! How I wonder whewe you awe! Wike a diamond in the sky, up above the wowd so high!"

"I think you got it backwards," Chaz told her. "It's 'up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky'."

"Oh, I knew that." Sarah smiled sheepishly.

Melinda laughed a bit and removed the oven mitts from the lady of the house. "Pizza time, you want me to help you, Sarah?"

"Okay!" Sarah beamed, then ran into the kitchen.

Chaz smiled at Melinda and went in with her.

After the pizza dinner, Sarah had fallen asleep during one of her cartoon videos. She had slept on the couch with her thumb in her mouth. Melinda saw this and decided to wrap Sarah up in a blanket and go upstairs to Sarah's bedroom. After Melinda put her in bed, she came back downstairs and sat with Chaz on the couch.

"Sorry I made you watch those silly videos." Melinda told Chaz, smiling.

"Oh, that's okay, I didn't mind, really, you know, Stu watches these all the time too." Chaz told her, apologetically smile. "Sorry I came here and ruined your babysitting."

"What are you talking about? I'm glad you came over! Sure, I like Sarah, she's like the little sister I never had, but having someone here with me kept me happy and you did very good with Sarah. A lot of guys that usually come over to help a girl babysit usually just want the kid in bed so he can have fun with her and not the kid."

"Well, I still had fun with you and Sarah... She's so sweet."

"Yeah, if I have kids, I hope I have at least ten of her." Melinda giggled a bit.

Chaz smiled sheepishly at her as she said that.

There was a car horn heard outside and Melinda opened the curtains. "Oh, there's Mr. and Mrs. Maynston! Looks like I'll have to study for my science test in the library on Monday..."

"Umm... You know Melinda, I know a lot about the periodic table, I even have a song for it," Chaz came up, shuffling his feet on the family carpet. "I can help you if you want."

Melinda turned to him. "Really? You wouldn't mind?"

"Of course not, I'm a prodigy when it comes to Mr. Dampier's science class." Chaz said, rather smugly, but Melinda knew it wasn't a bad smug.

"Ah, thanks, Charles, you're so smart and sweet, I hope you find your Mrs. Right someday." Melinda beamed and kissed his forehead before he went to meet Sarah's parents.

Chaz turned almost as red as his hair and rubbed his face. Suddenly his hands were sweaty and his body was weak around Melinda. Even more than usual.

Present Day

Chaz sighed as he looked out the window. "Oh, Melinda..."

That babysitting for little Sarah Maynston must have inspired her to become a parent. If memory serves, that was Chaz's very first kiss with Melinda. Not including their wedding day. He really missed her more than ever now. He met this nice woman while they were in Paris named Kira. She even had a kid that was the same age as Chuckie, what luck. Though, he seemed to be more interested in Coco right now.

"Come on, Charles!" Didi called, making him turn to her. "We were promised to see the Reptar Princess show!"

"Oh, umm... Coming!" Chaz stood up and walked to Didi to go with her and the babies to see Reptar tonight.


	20. Chapter 20

Fifi's sense of smell still seemed powerful, even more so when the dog she met, Spike, and his humans had gone to a Reptar Princess show. The dog never really knew who Reptar was, but somehow she sensed something very familiar there. They weren't allowed in, of course, no dogs allowed. After the show, Fifi's sense of smell grew stronger and stronger to something familiar to her. The church doors flew open as the evil French woman who formerly owned her was thrown out of her own wedding and Spike and Fifi saw that dirty Jean-Claude running after her. Spike sensed danger around the man and decided to help Fifi get rid of him.

"Go get 'em, Spike!" a familiar voice called.

Fifi turned to see the source of the voice. It was a human man with wild purple-colored hair and a big nose. Fifi somehow felt like she had known him from somewhere. The poodle shut her eyes and let her brain reprocess those images. The man, he was one of the first boys in Melinda's new neighborhood she had met. Stu. Stuart Pickles! Fifi looked back at him, she had seen Stu grow up and still married to Didi with little Tommy and they had a new addition to their family, a new baby it seems. However, it wasn't a girl like Stu and Didi had always wanted, it was a boy.

Fifi looked at Stu and Didi, she then saw Betty and Howard together with their twins who were now a bit older and still very identical, except for that pink hair bow that obviously belonged to little Lillian. Fifi beamed once she saw Drew and Charlotte with Angelica who was now around the age of three. Fifi remembered it all. In her former life, she was a human just like them and they were all best friends with their little rugrats. Fifi then rushed inside the church and she now placed the scent she had recognized before. It was Chaz and Chuckie. She couldn't believe her eyes. She even saw Kira from Coco's work there with Kimmy who was now around the same age as Chuckie.

"Who's that?" Chaz turned and noticed the poodle.

"It's me, Charles... It's me, Melinda..." Fifi told him.

However, unfortunately for the reincarnated dog, no human could understand her. No one could hear her calm, soothing, and wonderful voice ever again. All the humans could hear now was barking.

"That was Madame LaBouche's dog," Kira told Chaz. "Her name is Fifi."

"Fifi..." Chaz smiled and came close to the poodle. He gently pet her, making her tail wag and pant suddenly. "I don't know what it is about you, but I really like you... I feel like I've known you for a long time."

"You have..." Fifi barked.

"Should we return her to Coco?" Chaz asked, turning back to the Japanese woman.

"I think Fifi would be happier to stay with you and Chuckie when you go back home," Kira insisted. "She seems to like you two."

"She does." Chaz smiled, petting the poodle.

Fifi smiled fondly at the Finster man. She even felt happier when she saw Chuckie. He had grown up to be just like Chaz, only with her freckles. The poodle went to the boy and started to lick him, though she was meaning to kiss him and hold him. She had wanted to do that for many years. Chuckie was a little scared at first, but then he started laughing with Fifi in his pudgy arms.

"Okay," Chaz smiled. "We'll adopt her."

Kira picked up Kimmy in her grasp. "Isn't this wonderful, honey? Chuckie and his daddy are getting a new pet... Come on, Kimmy, let's go home."

"Thank you, Mrs. Watanabe," Chaz told her as she was leaving. "I hope you, your daughter and your husband have a nice day at home now."

"Oh, I'm afraid Mr. Watanabe doesn't live with us anymore," Kira told him. "We divorced a long time ago... It's just me and Kimmy."

"Gosh, it's hard being a single parent," Chaz had sympathy. "Raising Chuckie alone can be a challenge, especially with my job and he's too old for nursery school now."

"My sypathies, by the way, what happened to Mrs. Finster?" Kira couldn't help but ask.

Chaz heaved a sharp sigh. He then took Kimmy from her hands and gently put her down with Fifi and Chuckie. "She passed away when Chuckie was very young... She had breast cancer like her mother and her father died in a car accident."

"Oh, my goodness... I'm so sorry to hear about that, Charles."

"I'm sorry to hear about your husband."

"It's okay... I sometimes don't know whether to feel happy or sad... He mostly divorced me because he wanted a son instead of Kimmy. He lives back in Japan now."

"Well, that's not right," Chaz had a firm look set for Kira's ex-husband, even if he didn't know the man. "Umm... You're not seeing anyone, are you? I mean, if you want... You culd come home with us and get some coffee, maybe sometime?"

"Are you asking me out?" Kira looked at him, though not angry, just mildly amused and curious.

"Well, I was just wondering..." Chaz became as nervous as when he first met Melinda.

Kira kissed his forehead. "I would love to come home with you... I'll need citizenship, of course."

"Well, you could marry me if you wanted..." Chaz shrugged, a little sheepishly. "I'm not trying to replace Melinda, but... If you want to, we could get married."

"I would like that, Charles." Kira smiled daintily. "Our children do need a new mother and father after all."

"Yes, it's tough, but I think together, we can do it."

Chaz and Kira had a look at their children. They saw Kimmy and Chuckie nearly almost behaving like an actual brother and sister around Fifi. They really loved the poodle and decided that they would adopt her as well. Chaz felt a warm, nurturing feeling in Fifi that only made him think of Melinda. Little did he know was that it was indeed a poodle with the heart and soul of the woman who was Melinda Cavanaugh. Fifi looked at Chaz and smiled, very happy for her widowed husband. It was like what Lou told Stu and Drew. "Of course, no one will ever replace your mother, but it's her love in here that made this old geezer love again."

Before the gang would go back home, Kira and Chaz adopted Fifi. Also, this way, Spike would have a playmate. Fifi's dog instincts had her fall in love with Spike, but the Melinda part of her still had room for Chaz and Chuckie, as well as the new members of their family. Fifi was also going to live with Chaz and Chuckie again, even if none of them realized that Melinda was actually the dog they had adopted into their family. After a lot of paperwork, everyone was on their way home and soon there would be a wedding for Chaz and Kira with some Japanese tradition.

Spike was asleep in his dog carrier. He yawned a bit and woke up to see Fifi sleeping. He wanted out of his cage to join her, but he guessed he would have to wait until they would get out of Paris. Fifi was dreaming dog dreams, Melinda had always wondered what her old sheepdog back home would dream of, and now she was entering the mind of the dog. She had some dreams of her life as a human and missed the simple days.

Melinda was the new girl in town and she had made friends with a nice group. Stu made her laugh, Didi taught her life lessons, Drew told her about younger siblings, Betty taught her how to get really down and dirty not just as a country girl, Howard taught her how to get in touch with her feminine side, Charlotte was her best friend, even if at times, Charlotte told her to do drastic things to become beautiful. The best of all, was of course, Chaz Finster. He was a bit of a scaredy cat, he was awkward at times, he was easily nervous around her, but she loved him. A lot of the schoolchildren thought he was hard to look at and found him to be hideous and live and die alone, but boy were they wrong.

Melinda was worried she would never see her son grow up, but maybe she has a chance as a dog. Even if dogs live shorter than humans. She had watched over her son and husband in Heaven, now she was their pet dog. She just wondered what adventures awaited her to be a dog, and getting her dreams and wish of seeing Paris, France. It was as beautiful as she dreamed it would be. Unlike many dogs, Melinda was given the special ability. She would be able to hear the babies, or rather, the rugrats talk to each other. Spike could not understand the humans very well, but this time, Fifi would be able to tell him what they were saying. Melinda grew surprised of what the rugrats would find out as being 'Pied-Pipers in Diapers'.

The girl never saw herself having this kind of life. She deeply missed her human parents and being married to Chaz, but she was happy. She was going to be a very happy poodle now and have a lot of fun. The only downside was, she couldn't eat chocolate anymore, and chocolate knew how to cheer her up. Especially when she was pregnant with Chuckie. What is a poodle to do now, living in America and raised by her husband and toddler son with a new wife and a new sister?


	21. Chapter 21

Fifi was a fine addition to the new Finster clan. Not only did Chaz get a new wife and Chuckie get a new sister, but they had a new pet. They never really had a pet before, Chaz had several allergies, so when Melinda would talk to him about getting a pet for themselves, she couldn't think of an animal that would be safe, but Fifi wound up being perfect. The Finsters couldn't help but notice how close Fifi was with the Pickles' dog, Spike. The two dogs even snuck out of their homes after dark to be with each other since they lived far from each other. Fifi was resting in the bedroom while Chuckie and Kimmy were with each other adjusting to their new living conditions with each other.

"So, your mommy lives in Heaven?" Kimmy asked her new big brother.

"Yes, it's kind of sad, but I think I'll be okay," Chuckie told the girl with a sad smile. "I just know she's watching me up there in 'Hebben'."

"Your daddy and my mommy are gettin' married, does that mean we'll be brother and sissy?" Kimmy asked. She had really looked up to Chuckie now since the gang went back to America after their adventure in Paris.

"That's right, Kimmy," Chuckie smiled at her. "I just wish my mommy were here to see this..."

Fifi barked a bit. "I'm right here, Chuckie... You just don't know it or understand me..."

Chuckie smiled and petted his new pet poodle. "Good girl!"

Fifi smiled warmly as she was pet by Chuckie. She really missed being Melinda Cavanaugh-Finster, but she was very happy to be Fifi the poodle. Former pet of Coco LaBocuhe, new pet to Chaz and Chuckie Finster. This reality would probably be a lot more happy and meaningful than before. She felt a little funny lately though.

"Kimmy, I think there's something wrong with Fifi." Chuckie told his new step-sister.

"We better get Mommy and Daddy!" Kimmy cried.

Fifi did feel different. There was something wrong with her, but she didn't know what it was. She whimpered a bit, feeling a strange sensation in her body. The poodle just hoped she wasn't dying. Eventually, Chaz and Kira showed up.

"Oh, my, she doesn't look too well, I wonder if the children were trying to warn us about her." Kira sounded concerned.

"We better call the vet." Chaz advised.

The unmarried couple made an appointment and wasted no time to send Fifi to the vet. The poodle whimpered a bit, sounding to be in some type of pain. Kimmy and Chuckie were in their carsets while Chaz was driving to the veterinarian's office and Kira was looking back at the children and dog, very concerned. Fifi looked at her human family, very calm and quiet. Chaz stopped the car and Kira took out the leash to get inside the vet's office. Chaz held Chuckie and Kimmy's hands as they went inside.

Kira went to sign in Fifi to be looked at and sat with her new family. "I wonder if she's just homesick and we're taking her to the vet for nothing."

"I don't think so, Kira," Chaz told her gently. "She was very welcoming toward me and Chuckie already. I don't think she's homesick."

"I guess so, Madame LaBouche was raising her for all the wrong reasons. She even made Jean-Claude or I look after her when she was supposed to. One day, Fifi just acted bad and Madame LaBouche disowned her."

"That's not right... I can't believe I almost married that woman, Chuckie must've been so scared of her. She's not the woman I thought she was."

"Well, as soon as we get married, I'm sure that we'll all live happily ever after, hopefully so will Fifi."

"Chaz and Kira Finster?" the nurse called.

"Actually, we're not married," Chaz told her.

"At least not yet." Kira added.

"Well, the doctor will see you now." the nurse shrugged at them.

Chaz and Kira took Fifi inside. They had left Chuckie and Kimmy in the conveniently placed playpen inside the waiting room to the vet's office. They told the toddlers to be good with the other 'rugrats' and went inside to have Fifi looked at.

"Thank you for having us, Dr. Shane." Kira sounded extremely devoted.

"No problem, Ms. Watanabe," the blue-haired vet told her. "Now, what seems to be the trouble with the poodle?"

"We're not sure," Chaz explained. "She hasn't eaten, drank, or really did anything since we came home from Paris. She was fine when we were there and leaving, but as we got settled, she seemed different. Even when we'd take her to visit my friends Stu and Didi."

"Do Stu and Didi have any animals in the house who can't get along with dogs?" the vet queried.

"No, they have a dog too who's about the same size. His name's Spike."

"Hmm... Well, there seems to be no problem there, let me run some tests on Fifi."

Chaz and Kira stood back and held each other as Dr. Shane ran several tests over the poodle. There were X-rays and dog physicals who were a lot different from human physicals. Fifi was to shake her paw and wag her tail. It was like pet tricks, only with medical uses.

"I'll have to have Fifi stay overnight, I'm getting a very odd reading." Dr. Shane told the couple.

Kira sighed, now very worried of making their new pet stay overnight away from their new home. "Okay... Thank you, Dr. Shane."

"I'll call you as soon as I find out anything." Dr. Shane told them, trying to have them understand.

"Thank you, Dr. Shane." Chaz and Kira repeated themselves.

"Have a nice day."

Chaz and Kira left. To their surprise, there was a complete mess in the waiting room. However, Chuckie and Kimmy were fine. Chaz and Kira picked up their children and took them back home.

"Chuckie...?" Kimmy spoke up.

The red-headed toddler turned to her.

"Is Fifi going to be okay?" Kimmy bit her lip. "The pet doctor said she has to sleepover..."

"I'm sure she's fine, Kimmy, she's in a 'aminal hop-sicle', they'll take good care of her." Chuckie assured her, smiling.

"I really hope Fifi is okay." Chaz said, gripping the steering wheel.

"Oh, Chaz, I'm sure everything's fine... She didn't get into any chocolate, did she?" Kira checked.

"Not that I know of."

"Well, let's both pray she hasn't and we have her a long time."

Chaz and Kira were silent after that and made their way back home to get Chuckie and Kimmy for their lunches and maybe a little nap. Both weren't sure if their toddlers could understand anything going on with them, but of course, the tiny tots couldn't speak for themselves. Especially Chuckie, if asked anything he would only be able to say 'no' whether he was meaning that or not, it was the only word the adults could understand, since it was his first word. It was mighty powerful for a first word, he had managed to make it to the church on time and stop the wedding that was about to befall onto his father and that 'smelly French lady'.

After the drive, Kira and Chaz fed their children as they were talking about Fifi. They really hoped it wasn't a serious ailment in the dog. Maybe she just ate something she wasn't supposed to like a grape or a rock or something else foreign.

"I really hope Fifi isn't dying already..." Chaz said, his voice slightly breaking as he mentioned death.

"Honey, I'm sure she's fine," Kira patted her partner on the head. "Would you like to postpone our wedding until we're sure Fifi will be alright."

Chaz heaved a sharp, shallow sigh. "I dunno... I know she's only a dog, but I grew really attached to her... I didn't even think we'd be able to keep her because of my allergies, but I guess I'm not allergic to dogs after all."

"I didn't think you would be, you seem fine around Stu and Didi's dog, Spike." Kira shrugged.

"Probably just cats, I guess," Chaz shrugged as well. "I can't stand to be around Drew and Charlotte's cat. I even had to babysit that thing for a few days."

"Was Chuckie okay?"

"Yeah, he was fine, Chuckie's not really allergic to animals like I am, he gets that from his mother who grew up on a farm."

Chaz and Kira sent their children to bed. A few days later, they were still worried about Fifi and decided to probably get ready for their wedding. While they were preparing for the wedding to keep their minds off Fifi, the poodle was still thinking of them as she was sick. She would howl at the moon every night, wanting to be either with them or with Spike.

"Alright, Fifi, let's see how you are today..." Dr. Shane came over and ran another daily X-ray on the canine. "Check, check, check..." he then saw something that really caught his attention. "Huh? What's this? Nurse, get in here!"

The vet's assistant stepped in. "What is it, Dr. Shane?"

"Look at this." Dr. Shane handed the result to her.

The young woman took it and looked at it. She put a hand over her mouth in utter shock. "I'll call Chaz and Kira right away!" she dashed away with the result and quickly dialed the number.

However, Chaz and Kira weren't around the answer the phone much. They were having their wedding reception. Everyone was dressed differently, in kimonos for Kira and Kimmy's culture. The 'rugrats' were playing a game that was like the Godfather and Chaz was helping Kira cut the cake.

The assistant came back in. "I'm sorry, Dr. Shane, they're not answering, they must be very busy right now."

Dr. Shane heaved a sigh. "I hope they can wait to find out... This is very important."

Dr. Shane and his assistant waited and waited. They really needed to tell Chaz and Kira about this, so they could take Fifi home and find out the long news. Chaz and Kira were finally at the settling down point after putting Chuckie and Kimmy to bed for the night and Chaz checked their messages. One of them was an urgent one from the vet.

"Dr. Shane?" Chaz called him back.

"Finally, you answer, Mr. Finster," the vet sounded breathless. "I have news about your dog."

Chaz put the phone in between him and Kira so they could both hear. "What is it? Is she going to be okay, Dr. Shane?"

"She's going to be just fine, Mr. Finster and Ms. Watanabe, you can pick her up tomorrow," Shane explained. "Your family's going to get a little bigger... Your poodle is pregnant."

"P-P-P-Pregnant!?" Chaz nearly swallowed his own tongue.

"That's right!" Dr. Shane told them. "You can pick her up anytime tomorrow, just let her take it easy a bit. Talk to you later, bye." he hung up after that.

"Oh, Fifi is going to have puppies!" Kira beamed. "Chuckie and Kimmy will absolutely love this!"

"All this time we were worried and it was puppies!" Chaz chuckled a little. "Should we tell the kids?"

"Oh, Chaz, they had a big day... We'll tell them tomorrow."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yaaay update! :D I've wanted to update this story yesterday, but i felt the first draft I had was too short, so I needed some help to pad it out and viola! There'll be more after this, I really didn't think this story would catch on as much as I thought it would, but it makes me feel tingly and fuzzy inside like when I have those dreams where I'm on a rollercoaster and I'm slowly falling :) Anyway, I hope Chuckie and Kimmy were portrayed fine in this chapter, its kinda hard to write for babies, ya know. By the way, I never owned a pet that needed to go to the vet, we had a dog when I was a baby who had to get adopted before we moved into my childhood home and I had a lot of fish and an aquarium with other fish, ghost shrimp, and frogs from my mom's old fish selling job she had when I was in middle school, so I have no idea what they do in vet's offices to check them up when they need to be taken care of... So Read & Review and umm... I'll let you adopt one of Spike and Fifi's puppies! :D


	22. Chapter 22

Chuckie and Kimmy were growing up well-being raised by two new parents in their lives. Chuckie was filled the void of his missing mom and Kimmy was filled the void of her disappeared dad. Fifi was very happy too because Chaz had been a lot happy than he had been for a while. She still missed the past where she was Melinda and married to the man who was her childhood friend, but now he was with someone else to love and take care of him. Chaz and Kira told their children that their family was going to get a little bigger due to Fifi's pregnancy.

One night, the two dogs met. A few days earlier, there was word getting out that the 'Rugrats' group would be going on a cruise for a week. Spike was able to go with them, he was going to deeply miss his beloved Fifi, and he hoped this adventure would be okay. Fifi came, a little sluggishly as they met in the children's park as it was after midnight and they were together. Spike had not known the puppies that Stu and Didi had been talking about for a while were his and Fifi's, he thought it was some other dog that they happened to know.

"Hey, Feef, how you holding up?" Spike asked his mate, noticing she was a little slow tonight.

"I am okay," Fifi sighed. "So, have you heard about the puppies?"

"Yeah, I wonder who the lucky dog is?"

Fifi paused. She had thought Spike had already known. "Spike, mon chere, you do not know? You are ze father!"

Spike's eyes widened and his tail slowly stopped wagging. "Excuse me?"

"May oui! You are ze father of a litter!"

"Waaaait... You mean, those puppies are...are... ours?"

"Oui, oui, Spike! You are going to be a papa and I am going to be a maman! Isn't it magnifique?"

"Oh, boy... I'm sorry, Love Bone, I thought the humans were talking about someone else."

"Who else would they talk about?" Fifi nuzzled against her mate. "You are, how they say, the only dog for me and I am the one dog for you... Am I not?"

Spike's tail went beneath his legs. "I guess this means you can't come with us to the cruise... It might be bad for you and the babies."

"Oh, Spike, you are so considerate... Alas, yes, it will be difficult to cope without you for a week... I know it shall only be seven days, but to me it will be at least forty-nine."

"Me too, Feef." Spike rubbed noses with her. It was their way of kissing. "Be good while I'm gone... Take care of the kids, don't let them be born before I have a chance to meet the little guys."

"I shall try my best, Spike." Fifi sighed.

The two decided to spend a little more time together that night. They curled their tails together and walked down the street as the moon followed them. Paris was very romantic and the city of love and lights, Spike felt like an amateur to have Fifi in this place. However, to his surprise, Fifi was well adapted to this American city. He could have sworn she had at least known it even if she was a puppy well into Paris and was adopted by Coco, and soon enough, Kira. Fifi leaned against Spike as the stars twinkled in the night sky like elegant diamond rings to be bought for a surprise engagement between two lovers.

"Be safe on your adventure with your family, Spike, take good care of the boy Chuckie for me." Fifi told her mate.

"I will, Fifi, I will..." Spike whispered back to her.

The next morning, Fifi was lying on the carpet asleep while her humans were in bed to get ready to go. Fifi yawned and stretched as she heard Chaz yelling out questions to Kira and she would answer as she dressed Kimmy and Chuckie.

"Take care of Mommy and Daddy, Fifi!" Kimmy beamed to the poodle.

Chuckie smiled and pet her.

Fifi smiled back and started to lick his freckled face.

"Aw, Fifi! Stop!" Chuckie grunted from the dog slobber. Little did he know that the dog slobber was actually his mother's endless and ever-loving kisses. He just didn't know it.

"Ready to go?" Chaz asked, coming out with their bags.

Chuckie and Kimmy babbled and went to their father.

"Be good while we're gone, Fifi." Chaz smiled and kissed the poodle's muzzle.

Fifi beamed at the kiss. She then barked at him to respond. "I'll miss you two very much... Be safe, I'll be waiting..."

"I swear, it's almost as if Fifi can understand everything we're saying." Kira chuckled, amused.

There was a knock at the door.

"Oh, good, that must be the dog-sitter." Chaz sounded relieved and he answered the door.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Finster." the girl greeted with a pleasant smile. She had double brown pigtails.

"Thank you so much for coming, Britannica," Chaz smiled at the teen. "You sure you can handle looking after a dog for a week?"

"I'm sure we'll be fine, Mr. Finster," Britannica insisted. "My best friend babysits six babies all the time, I'm sure I can handle a pregnant dog, no prob."

"Okay," Chaz smiled, then looked back at the poodle. "Bye, Fifi, have a good time and be good for Britannica!"

Kira left with him. Britannica smiled as the couple left and walked inside the Finster-Watanabe house. "Okay, Fifi, let's you and me have some fun, sound good?" she beamed at the French dog.

Fifi looked back at her, smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can probably guess that this chapter is set during Rugrats Go Wild. I shouldn't have to say this, no offense if you think differently, but that's not a good movie! How could Gabor and Arlene not make this work? It's the Rugrats and Wild Thornberrys, two of the most adored programs on Nickelodeon! And they have as much responsibility as the Wild Thornberrys as they do the Rugrats! This is just a random update chapter, sorry if it's not as good as I made it, but you know me... Oh, some of you might not recognize Britannica (what kind of name is that anyway?), but she's a character in the sries :P *plays Jeopardy music* I'll let you find out how she relates to the show. Good luck, everybody. Read & Review!


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *shudders from Tommy's wide toothless smile that I was forced to see not one, not two, but THREE times during this episode* Hey guys, I'm going out to my theater group tonight so spend my final show with them for a while, but I found this episode on my Amazon Prime, so I will allow you to read it. Seeing as I uploaded this story to my DeviantART, it inspired me to write more for this story. So, since I had Fifi joining the family and some things coming up, this is the episode Bow Wow Wedding Vows. I was going to make this into two separate chapters, but I decided you all deserve better, so this chapter is all one big one! I hope you enjoyed it, so read & review!

Spike had told Fifi about the adventure of the cruise and what had happened. Stu had actually had the family aboard a raft boat he made instead of spending the week on the Lipschitz cruise. Fifi was also astounded when Spike mentioned he had met this pre-teenage girl who had the secret ability to talk to animals, but she wasn't allowed to tell anyone. Especially her parents, her dad hosted this nature show and her mom shoots it.

"I swear, Feef, that Debbie girl Eliza told me about was like a bigger Angelica!" Spike continued his story as they met like they usually do.

"Oh, Spike, I am sure Angelica has some good in her, but we just had not yet seen it, I see the good in everyone, especially her." Fifi smiled fondly.

Spike sighed, but smiled. "I thought of you when Eliza thought we were looking for the pups when I told her and her monkey that I lost the babies."

Fifi's eyes widened. "You lost ze enfants!?"

"Not on purpose, I had a big travel, I needed to catch some sleep, plus I was having a bit of a cold... Though I never forget the smell of Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil... Kinda like diaper rash with warm milk."

"You always know just what to say..." Fifi slightly rolled her eyes. She loved Spike, but he was more of a disgusting dog. Perhaps some of Coco's ownership had rubbed off on her.

"How are the pups? Did I miss them?"

"No, they are where they always have been... You will meet them soon... Soon we'll have our very own Siberian Tiger Hound and Poodle litter."

"Spike! Come here, boy!" the voice that only came from Stu Pickles was heard in the distance.

"I better go, see you later, Fifi." Spike waved his paw, then barked as he ran to his master and best friend's father.

"Au revoir, Spike!" Fifi called back, then went to go inside the Finster house.

The next day was a big fuss for the humans. They were talking of bunnies coming into the house with eggs. This was of course, unusual for Spike and Fifi, since they were dogs and everyone knew that bunnies could not lay eggs. Due to the later stages of dog pregnancy, Spike had been spending a lot more time with Fifi. The dog didn't want to be rude to Tommy or the other babies, but Fifi really needed him this time around. Spike just wished he could tell Tommy that, but Tommy was no Eliza Thornberry. He could not talk to Tommy and Tommy could not talk to him back.

Fifi heard the human adults talk about Easter. For some reason, she was really excited to celebrate this human holiday with Chaz and Chuckie. Though, she was extra fluffy today and started to drink from Spike's dog bowl. Her cravings for food seemed to increase lately due to the final stages of the pregnancy. The puppies should be born either today or tomorrow, only time could tell. She then passed Angelica as the girl was making some sort of macaroni artwork.

"I wonder where Spike is...?" Fifi asked herself as she went all around the Pickles house. She searched out of the kitchen, then the living room and all the rooms upstairs. She then came back into the kitchen, assuming he had been outside with the rugrats. "Oh, this smells delicious!" she beamed as she sniffed the macaroni and cheese on the table by Chaz and Kira while Angelica was talking.

"Thank you, Angelica," Chaz adjusted his glasses. "Those decorations definitely are special..."

"They smell good too!" Fifi yipped a bit to him.

"Why don't you go outside to play with the rest of the kids?" Chaz politely told Angelica, seeming as though he kind of wanted to get rid of her.

"Oh, oui, outside!" Fifi beamed and followed Angelica to go outside. She was sure Spike was out there. He always loved spending time with the babies, even if he wasn't one himself. He always looked after them and he once told Fifi that he had saved them from a vicious bloodthirsty wolf once. She thought this was just a ploy to get her attention, but the adults had mentioned to each other about it, so she knew that Spike was indeed the wonder dog he said he was. What a brave soul. He would make a wonderful father to their puppies.

The babies were laughing as they frolicked in the flowers. Fifi smiled as she saw Chuckie at play, but wanted more of Spike's attention. The dog was about to fetch a stick Tommy threw for him, but Spike noticed the poodle out and about.

"Spike, come here..." Fifi called for him.

Spike looked at her, then at the babies, frowning apologetically. He then put the stick down by Tommy and Dil and went to go inside Spike's house. Tommy called after him, but Spike was now resting next to Fifi.

"Sorry I had to pull you away like that, mon chere." Fifi said, softly.

"It's okay," Spike sighed, then nestled next to her. "I'm sure Tommy will understand. How are you feeling?"

"Very hungry today, I think the puppies will be coming either today or tomorrow."

"I really can't wait to meet them."

"Neither can I... I don't know if you know this, but I have a natural maternal instinct."

"I kinda have that too, with the babies," Spike smiled. "I've been looking after Tommy since his first birthday."

"I remember that... You had mentioned that they all ate your food and turned into puppies."

"Yes, from that day on, I wanted puppies of my own and I'm glad that you're going to be the one to give them to me."

"He's in love." Angelica told the rugrats as they were curious why Spike was with Fifi.

"You know, she is right." Fifi said to Spike.

The Siberian Tiger Hound laughed a bit, then looked back at her. "She is, but sorry... Angelica being right is such a rare occurence. She's always telling the babies these crazy stories..."

"Crazier than yours?" Fifi pulled a teasing face.

Spike rolled his eyes and let out a quiet laugh. The two dogs were cuddling each other, but had to tone it down a bit. Fifi noticed the babies were coming over so they had to keep it, as a lot of adult humans would tell their teenage children, PG-13.

"Hey, Spike!" Tommy called with the others at his sides. "Come here, boy! It's me, Tommy! Your bestest baby friend! Spike... Old buddy..."

"I know Tommy, say some of the stuff you always say!" Chuckie suggested. Fifi loved hearing Chuckie voice an opinion. "Maybe that'll get Spike to notice you."

Tommy acknowledged that as a good idea, then frowned, deep in thought. "Uhh... Let's go on a 'venture'!"

Fifi had fallen asleep. She needed a break, but still wanted Spike with her so he would be there by the time their children would be born. Spike just scratched himself as he took a break with his comforts toward her. Phil and Lil suggested doing other things, then Fifi looked back at her love.

"You know, I won't be mad if you spend a little time with the babies." Fifi said as the children walked off to find other ideas.

"I want to be with you, Fifi, I love the babies, but I need to be with my mate for when our puppies come, what kind of father would I be if I wasn't here for you?" Spike asked, cuddling her still.

"I'm sleepy... Wanna take a nap?"

"Okay."

The two then took a nap close together. If anything, the puppies would be ready to be born by surprise of both dogs while they were sleeping. Fifi was dreaming of the possible puppies she could have. Both Spike and Fifi knew that they couldn't keep their puppies for long and would have to let them go to other homes and be away from each other, but it was for the best. They would make the most out of being dog parents the best they could. Fifi heard some shaking and woke up slightly as Spike was covered in strings.

"What was that?" Fifi whined.

"Go back to sleep." Spike whispered to her to continue all the rest they would need.

The two dogs fell right back asleep together. They still needed their rest, puppy labor was an exhausting rite of passage enough as it was. After their nap, the babies were arranging what the dogs didn't know as a doggy wedding.

"We should see the kids, they probably miss you." Fifi told Spike.

The male dog nodded and walked with her to the other babies. Tommy was holding a book upside down and stood before the two dogs. "Hello, Fifi and Spike, I'm your speaker, Tommy. Dearly 'bemove-ed'. We are here today to marry of Fifi and Spike. Fifi, do you take Spike to be your 'awful' wedded 'gloom'? Say, 'I do'."

Fifi giggled a bit. This was too cute. She gave Spike a kiss to play along with their little baby game.

Angelica looked at her baby gang. "Umm... Guys? DOGS CAN'T TALK!"

"Silence!" Fifi barked. Angelica had really gotten spoiled and bossy since she last saw the girl, who everyone did not know, she was Melinda in her former life.

"Spike, do you take Fifi to be your 'awful' wedded 'blind'?" Tommy asked, smiling.

Spike didn't answer him, but suddenly sniffed his own rear end.

"Uhh... Or that," Tommy hid his face in his book. "I now 'denounce' you, Fifi and Spike! You may kiss the 'blind'!"

Angelica lashed out orders to Chuckie. Fifi didn't like that the blonde girl was bossing around the boy, and forcing him to do as told as he tried to play The Wedding March on a toy piano. Fifi, however, resisted the urge to bite Angelica for her misdeed, as Spike was kissing her. Well, that was fun. Fifi now needed to go back and have some quality time with her mate as Spike followed her back to the doghouse.

The babies decided to have a play wedding reception while Fifi and Spike were still together. They were in love now more than they had ever been before and it was of course spring, the season of love. They were in love more than when their noses touched and they sniffed each other. Even more than when Spike first saw her avoiding a dog-catcher after Coco LaBouche threw her out. Even more than when they shared an old pizza slice together and nearly got stuck as they watched the moon together. They were also going to be parents. The best bond two lovers could ever share together.

Kimmy came to the dog couple and placed a rock in front of them. Phil came also and left a piece of bellybutton lint. Lil also had the same thing, ashamed and worried about having the same 'gift'. Dil came and only left a pile of his baby drool. Tommy reached into his diaper and took out a framed picture of himself with Spike.

'How could that child fit that in his diaper?' Fifi couldn't help but ask herself. 'What else does he keep in there?'

Fifi and Spike were proud of the 'gifts' left by the babies, but they were just too tired. They really needed to get some sleep. Chaz called out from inside. It was time for the Finster family to go home. Spike wanted to go with them because of the puppies future birth, so he followed Stu and Didi out to say goodbye to Chaz and Kira.

"I can come with you, you know." Spike said to Fifi as the Finster adults spoke to the Pickles adults.

"Merci beaucop, Spike, but I believe you should stay with Stuart, Didi, and young Thomas," Fifi said, apologetically, but flattered by his offer. "I'm sure Tommy misses you, I nearly kept you all to myself and away from him."

"Yeah, I guess you're right... He was jealous of Dil before, but I shouldn't leave him out of my doggone life."

"Oui, Spike, I will see you very soon."

"Bon Jovi, Fifi." the boy dog licked her cheek.

Fifi giggled. "Bon voyage if you are saying goodbye to moi." she corrected.

Chaz and Kira left with Fifi, Kimmy, and Chuckie and Spike dashed to the backyard to reunite with Tommy. That night, Kimmy and Chuckie were wondering why Fifi and Spike were spending so much time together. Fifi just wished she could tell them, but they wouldn't be able to understand her like she could understand them.

Today was the day. The Rugrats gang were all together for an Easter Egg hunt. Fifi really needed Spike today, but she wondered where he was. She was avoiding most of the human adults today, namely the men. They were all dressed like bunnies. Howard was a pink bunny, Chaz was a purple bunny, Stu was a green bunny, and Drew was a yellow bunny. The sane women kept their normal clothes on. That was good, something about full-grown men in bunny costumes put Fifi in an awkward mood and she got away late at night. No one knew where she was and no one seemed all that concerned. Fifi had been hiding in the Finster's backyard shack. Last night, Fifi and Spike met and today was very important. Her hunches were right about puppies being born either a day or two.

"Over here, guys!" Spike called.

Fifi smiled as she heard Spike barking to the babies. She wanted them to see this too.

"Oh, no, I hope nothing's wrong with Fifi!" the poodle heard the voice of the brave baby, Tommy. That was so sweet. Tommy was just a bundle of sweetness.

The babies finally made it. They opened the shack door to discover Spike and Fifi were now finally parents of the puppies they had been anticipating for. There were two cream puff puppies, about four puppies who resembled Spike and one who resembled Fifi. Seven in all.

"I call them the 'Puprats'." Fifi told her mate as she smiled fondly at the scampering babies they had together.

The human adults came for their kids and were surprised to see the new litter added into their little group and family. Chaz had dubbed this as a special Easter, not only his first one with his new family, but the new parts of their family. First came Kira and Kimmy, then Fifi with them, and now the Spike and Fifi puppies. This was truly a special day to go to the dogs.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, how's it going? This is the chapter with the episode, The Tale of Two Puppies. I hope you like it, this chapter was fun to write too. This has some elements from other Season 8 and Season 9 episodes, but it's mostly the Two Puppies episode. Read & Review, I hope the dogs' interaction was written out well enough for those who love this story.

The Finster family was trying to earn extra money. Chaz had taken time off from his former job and Kira was unemployed because her last job was in Paris, and she was kind of a stay-at-home mom until Chuckie and Kimmy went to daycare. Sure, they could visit friends, but Didi had to stay in the high school she worked at a bit longer because of exams coming up and she even had to go back to school herself to keep her degree. Fifi was resting a lot with her puppies as they would stay with her for milk and nearly chew up the house.

After Chaz and Kira took employment in a place called the Java Lava, they would keep the babies with them while they would work. They also hoped that when Chuckie and Kimmy were older, they could also work in the Java Lava and so far had Betty's assistance. This allowed Spike and Fifi to have some more alone time together during the day.

However, one day, it was getting too crowded in the Pickles house. Stu and Didi didn't want to do this, but they had to get rid of some of the puppies. Not to be harsh with the dog parents, but it was for the best. Spike knew this day had to come and he was talking to Fifi about how it happened to him before Tommy was born since she had grown up in an animal shelter with absolute no recollection of her dog parents or any brothers and sisters.

"Hopefully Chuckie and Kimmy will get to keep one puppy while Tommy and Dil can have another." Fifi compromised as she met with Spike and the Pickles were setting up the puppy adoptions. She saw the box with free puppies and decided to have some solo time while her children would be taken away while the babies were playing with one of the puppies who had Fifi's fur, but Spike's lack of fluff.

A neighbor woman came and took one of the puppies who looked a lot like Spike but had Fifi's poodle fluff. Fifi was hoping that one could stay as it was the most attached to them, but the puppy seemed to already love its new owner and new life it was going to have as she walked off with her husband.

"Au revoir, my little darling... Be good and be safe..." Fifi whispered as she caught one last glimpse of the precious puppy. She smiled up at Chaz as he stood with Kira tallying up the free puppy giveaway.

Stu seemed attached to one of the puppies. The one the babies had been playing with. He reminded Spike of himself when he was a puppy and he was hoping they could keep that one too. The pup was pulling off Stu's loafer to chew on as Stu and the babies chased him.

Fifi came to see one of the other puppies left behind cowering in a bush. "Sweetie, what's wrong?"

The puppy shivered. She strongly resembled her father, with a purple spot around her eye, she also seemed to be a lot like Chuckie in a way than being dominate like her father or gracious like her mother. "I-I don't want to be adopted, Mama... I-It's too scary!"

"Oh, but sweetie, being adopted is a very special thing," Fifi smiled at her baby. The puppy reminded her a lot of Chuckie in her behavior as well as her appearance. "You're going to be very happy with your new human pets."

"B-B-But w-w-what if they don't like me, M-M-Mama?" the puppy still shivered with fear.

"Why wouldn't they like you?" Fifi frowned at that question.

The puppy made an unsure face and stared at the grass.

"Your father and I love you very much, mon petite."

"T-T-Then why can't I-I-I stay with you a-a-and my brothers and sisters?"

"We've been through this, honey... Everyone has to be adopted sometime... Your brother there though seems to love the Pickles family." Fifi gestured to the puppy running with Stu.

"I-I-I guess... B-B-But wh-what if my n-n-new owner is m-m-mean to me?" the puppy was still unsure.

"I won't let that happen... Be brave now, I know you can be." Fifi nuzzled her nose against the puppy's nose and went to see Spike.

The puppy watched her mother leave and still shivered. She loved that she got to hear her mother's encouraging words though and looked very nervous once Chaz and Chuckie came to see her.

"Whatcha so scared of, puppy?" Chuckie asked.

"Everything!" the puppy whimpered as there came a dangerous looking bird and a creepy crawling bug. It jumped on her nose and she tried to shake it away. "Off! Off! Off!"

"Oh, everything," Chuckie seemed to understand and easily relate to the petrified pooch. "I know the feeling... There's one thing that not even I'M scared of. Me!" he smiled friendly for the puppy.

The puppy had to admit, Chuckie seemed very nice and understanding. She allowed him to hold her and carry her out from the bushes. She though got startled from Tommy and hid in the red-headed boy's shirt, feeling alarmed by a new presence.

"Whatcha doin', Chuckie?" Tommy asked.

Chuckie gasped a little and got on his hands and knees. "I'm just teachin' this puppy to be brave so she can find a nice home."

The babies giggled, seeing the puppy hiding inside his shirt.

Fifi smiled fondly at the boy as she heard him say what he was going to do for her. "Thank you, Chuckie..." she whispered, then lay down on the Pickles' front porch to get some rest. Sure, Chuckie was the scarediest baby of the group, but she marveled at his determination.

"Come on, puppy, I'm gonna teach you how to be brave." Chuckie told the cowardly one of the puppy litter, though he cried out as the brave puppy jumped over his head with Stu's loafer still in his muzzle.

After that case, Stu went to Didi and Chuckie decided to start the brave training. The puppy was really close with Chuckie and trusted him to help her with her lack of courage. Chuckie and the others gathered some toys while the unnamed cowardly puppy was ready to get to know everything she needed to know about being brave so someone kind would adopt her, though she would miss her family, very, very much.

"This is my Wawa," Chuckie showed the bear his mother made for him. "He helps me not be 'ascared' of stuff. So look at Wawa here, and you won't feel scared."

Puppy smiled at that. Wawa seemed friendly for a bear, so she settled with the bear.

"How 'bout this?" Tommy had a monkey toy that crashed cymbals together. He pulled the strong to show the monkey in action.

It was a gently tap with each cymbal crash, but it sounded terrifying for poor Puppy. She started to shiver with fright again and hid behind Chuckie and Wawa for some type of security.

"He scares me too..." Chuckie whispered to Puppy so she wouldn't get discouraged for being afraid of the toy.

Spike saw his youngest daughter a little frazzled and came with one of his favorite toys from childhood. It was a squeaky ball. Even though her father had brought it over, Puppy was still terrified. This was all new and scary to someone like her. Why couldn't she be brave like her friends and family?, she was thinking.

"Sorry, Puppy..." Chuckie cooed and put the puppy in his lap.

"How 'bout this?" Phil came up with a leaf and held it to his face that made him look really scary.

That was enough to make Chuckie scream and fall back. "What is that, Phil...?"

"It's just a leaf... With a face..." the boy DeVille twin explained.

Puppy was so shook up from it. She was now shivering beside Kimmy. At this rate she was never going to be brave and be a scaredy dog all her life, she just knew it.

"Sis, it's just a ball, look, it's fun." the brave puppy now named Spiffy came up to Puppy and took the ball in his mouth and ran off with it to play with. He was no doubt the Tommy of the 'puprats'.

Puppy really liked Chuckie's warmth and comfort. She was now being taught how to be nice with bugs and they won't be scary. He wasn't going to give up making her brave, even if he was the cowardly baby of the group. Puppy saw Chuckie more of a big brother than another human being. Chuckie's sneeze scared her though and she shivered in Kimmy's hands.

Chuckie decided to take her inside and take a break from nature. Puppy loved Chuckie's help and all, but she was just too scared. Tommy advised Chuckie to show Puppy something he's not really scared of. That made Puppy feel good and she now had motivation to face this fear, if Chuckie could do it, so could she. Tommy went to a cupboard and handed an oatmeal container.

"Okay," Chuckie smiled as he took it. "Puppy, I know the man on the oatmeal box is KINDA scary, but all you have to 'member is that it's just a box of oatmeal."

Puppy nodded, timidly. "Just a box of oatmeal..." she quietly whined.

Chuckie found himself scared and hid behind the open cupboard. Tommy then decided to take it over as Puppy was more scared due to Chuckie's cowardly outburst. "Look, Puppy, it's just a box with oatmeal inside, there's nothing scary 'bout oatmeal..." he held out some of the oatmeal for the puppy.

"You never seen Lil eat it." Phil joked.

Puppy shivered before Tommy. She sniffed the oatmeal. It sure smelled like food, but it was something she never saw before. She let out a startled yelp and ran off to find someone else, her parents at least. She heard something even more scary outside which the babies called 'Hubert'.

"Chuckie, you're 'apposed' to be brave for Puppy!" Lil scolded Chuckie as he hid behind the curtains she held the dog now.

"I was kinda hopin' she 'forgetted' about that..." Chuckie murmured.

"But she didn't forget about being scared..." Kimmy told him, talking about Puppy.

Chuckie saw poor Puppy scared half to death from the garbage eating monster, at least that's what she thought it was. Chuckie earned some confidence back and decided to try again with helping the poor thing. "See, Puppy? It's just the trash guy, with its big, long, scary teeth, chomps on little bits and umm... Little kids... Right, guys?"

Chuckie seemed a little brave for that moment. The Rugrats then cheered for him as Puppy didn't whimper or whine, but she still shook a little. Chuckie had a brave smile now and Puppy saw him looking relieved and she felt so safe with him now. Things were okay now, but Spiffy still wanted to scare his sister.

"Hey, Runt! What's going on?" Spiffy barked loudly.

Puppy squeaked and ran off away from him. She knew if she were adopted at least she wouldn't have to see HIM again, her bully of a brother. "Just go away!" she yipped at him and shivered under the stand the babies had stood on.

Chuckie took her and held her close. It was no use, Puppy was a scaredy dog and there was nothing they could do to help her. Chaz and Kira noticed how much Chuckie and Kimmy loved the youngest puppy. Fifi smiled as she saw where this was going.

"Oh, Charles, let her stay with us... She needs her mother." Fifi whined a little, hoping this was going where she thought it was going.

The Rugrats tried to make their problem light as Puppy was slowly calming down around them. Who would adopt a coward like her, anyway? Her brother was going to be staying with Stu, Didi, Tommy and Dil, where would she go? Maybe if dogs ruled the world she could run away and be raised by wolves, her ancestors. The doorbell rang.

"Who's that?" Puppy barked and cuddled up close with Chuckie.

"Hi, Aunt Didi!" Angelica Pickles' voice ran through the house, much to everyone's misfortune. "I came to see the puppies! My Daddy said I can have one!"

Puppy sensed danger from this little girl and hid close behind Chuckie. "Don't let her take me..." she whimpered.

"Now, princess, a puppy's a lot of work." Drew lectured his only child. "So that's why I thought we could talk about it."

Angelica spoke with her father and hummed as she looked around for any of the remaining puppies still needing a home even if Stu was talking his wife into letting them keep Spiffy. Puppy hid close behind Chuckie and Kimmy so the girl wouldn't see her and take her away.

"There's one!" Angelica beamed as she saw Spiffy.

"Hey! Hey! Hi, look at me!" Spiffy barked and ran around the human preschooler. He then put his dirty paws over her dress. "Aren't I cool? Aren't I awesome? You like me, don't you? Don't lie!"

Angelica didn't want this puppy. She tried to get away from him, but he kept chasing her and wanted attention. Stu then came over and grabbed the puppy to make him stop chasing her. Angelica complained about Spiffy, then noticed the scaredy dog.

"Now there's the kind I like..." Angelica grinned darkly as she came to Chuckie. "Nice and quiet... Yeah, one to do everything I say!"

Puppy shivered. "Don't let her take me..." she almost cried, imagining the horrors of being adopted by this little girl who seemed to not live up to her name.

"No, Angelica," Chuckie declined, rather bravely. "You can't have her!"

"Oh, yeah? How come?" Angelica challenged.

"Cuz... You're... Loud, and bossy, and selfish, and sometimes you're not VERY NICE!"

"Yeah, tell me something I don't know... Still want that puppy. And no one's gonna stop me."

Puppy shivered and she noticed that this mean girl was bossing Chuckie around directly. No one had ever stood up for her before and she really admired Chuckie so much more than as a pet owner. She didn't like the way Angelica was making Chuckie feel smaller than he was compared to her. Puppy growled and stood in front of Chuckie.

"Leave him alone, you big bully!" Puppy barked angrily. "He's a scaredy baby, but he's MY scaredy baby! Now go back to where you came from! I hope you never come back, you're a bully girl and the only pet you deserve is a seasick crocodile! Now beat it or else I'll bite you!"

Angelica gave up and walked away.

Chuckie smiled at Puppy and she smiled back. She had stood up for herself bravely and she didn't feel so scared anymore. The babies praised Chuckie as he was petting the puppy, feeling very proud of her. Fifi left the adults and came to see Puppy getting along nicely with the babies and she was very proud for her little girl sticking up for herself and Chuckie. Chaz and Kira then decided to let Chuckie and Kimmy keep Puppy as her new family. Stu and Didi wouldn't want to separate father and son, Spike and Spiffy, so Chaz and Kira decided to not separate mother and daughter, Fifi and Puppy.

"Mama, did you see me?" Puppy asked, sounding very confident now. "Did you see what I did?"

"Yes I did, sweetie, you were very good to stand up for yourself like that," Fifi nuzzled against her again. "I'm very proud of you... Plus, you're going to stay in our family. I'm sorry about your brothers and sisters though."

"I'll really miss them, but I'm sure maybe I'll get to see them again sometime." Puppy smiled, then looked at Spiffy and sighed. "Though, I wouldn't mind if he was drafted as a sled dog in like Alaska or something."

Fifi sighed and shook her head. "Puppies these days..." she whispered.

"Puppy, come here, girl!" Chuckie called.

"Ooh! Gotta go, Mama!" Puppy beamed, then went to be with the babies again.

Fifi smiled fondly as she saw Chuckie and Puppy together. She nearly cried at the pretty picture and went to take another nap. "Thank you, Chuckie... For now, my work here is done..." she said quietly, then went to get some sleep.


	25. Chapter 25

Puppy and Spiffy had adapted to their new homes alright. Spiffy was at the Pickles house with Spike while Puppy would be with Fifi in the Finster house. Puppy was very happy she wasn't taken away from Angelica and have a possibly abusive relationship with the girl, but lately, Puppy had been sad. The humans couldn't find out why that was.

Not even Kimmy, Chuckie, and Tommy playing around her joyously could cheer her up. Tommy and Chuckie's ball rolled by the dog, but she merely glanced at it and continued to look down. Now the babies took notice to Puppy's depression.

"Don't you wanna play, Puppy?" Chuckie asked sadly.

Puppy, of course, could not answer him in a simple answer.

"She's sure not acting like herself," Chuckie was in deep concern.

Kimmy tried to cheer up the dog by waving her bunny doll. She assumed it was a bad day. Tommy suggested that Spiffy is happy when he chews on something, so he and the others went to get something for Puppy to chew on.

Puppy sniffed at the slipper given to her, but it couldn't cheer her up. Kimmy then suggested newspaper. He even showed her how to do it by chewing it himself, even if he didn't have any teeth. Fifi ran over and saw the fun and started to grab the paper. Even her mother's fun couldn't bring joy for Puppy.

The human adults were talking to each other now. Puppy had not had a name unlike her brothers, sisters, and parents. That was why she was upset. No one bothered to name her. Except for Spiffy who called her 'Runt', but she didn't take kindly to that name. Big brother teasing or no big brother teasing.

"That's why Puppy's sad!" Tommy spoke up after Kira left and Chaz buried his face in another naming book. "Cuz she don't gots her name yet!"

Chuckie kneeled in front of the little dog. "I'm sorry you're sad, Puppy. You can have my name if it'll make you happy."

'I don't think I'm much of a Chuckie...' Puppy sighed as she was still sad. 'That's such a people's name.'

The babies then argued about Chuckie's name and decided to let him keep it. Puppy knew this was a silly thing to be sad about, but it meant a lot to her. Her mother was Fifi, her father was Spike, her brother was Spiffy, who could she be? She didn't just want to be called 'puppy'. It made her feel singled out like she wasn't special and didn't deserve a name like anyone else in the whole wide world. Chuckie pressed his nose against hers.

"Thanks anyway, Chuckie." Puppy smiled and licked his face a little. He always knew how to make her feel important, even if today was a sad day for her.

Chuckie stood up and suggested to Tommy and Kimmy they should help Chaz find a name for the puppy. The babies went about to literally look for a name while Puppy suffered from her little crisis. She wondered what she would be called. Spiffy's name was just as unique. Stu said it himself, Spiffy, son of Spike and Fifi. It's not like she could be Fike or something uncreative like that.

Fifi came back from the newspaper mess. "Bon-Bon, you are upset again!"

Puppy whimpered, looking up at her mother. "Mama, I don't have a name... Spiffy gets a name, the people puppies have names, you and Daddy have names, I want a name!"

"You know you're my little angel, right?" Fifi nuzzled against her.

Puppy smiled at the warm embrace, but frowned again. "I know, but I want the humans to call me something special. Tommy's daddy named Spiffy after you and Dad... I'm no special dog... I don't have a special name. Can't you ask Chaz and Kira to give me a name that suits me?"

"I'd love to tell them, mon petite, but humans cannot understand dogs," Fifi explained, apologetically. "Sure, we can understand them a little, but I can't tell him what to name you. It doesn't work that way."

Puppy whined. "That's not fair!"

"I'm sorry, sweetie, but that's the human circle of life... Maybe someday when humans go extinct and the dogs rule, you'll go down in history."

"Mama..."

"What? It could happen... I saw a giant Reptar robot battle a giant Robo-Snail once just to stop the wedding between Chaz and that mean old Coco."

Puppy's eyes widned. "You saw that happen...? I thought it was a dream Chuckie had..."

"Non, sweetie, it really happened... After the wedding, Chuckie's daddy and Kimmy's mommy adopted me and soon enough, you and your brothers and sisters were born."

Puppy smiled a bit from the story. "I knew Chuckie was brave, but I didn't know he was so talented..."

"There's a lot you don't know about our family, sweetie, listen, I need to go outside for a bit, why don't you get some rest? Won't be long until lunch."

"Okay, Mama... Could you give me a name until the human puppies find me a new name?"

Fifi sighed a bit. She didn't want to say no, but she wished her daughter would be calm about this and not take it so seriously. Then again, she was young. "How about... Sparky? You have a lot of spark from your papa."

"Sparky? Sounds like a boy's name." Puppy shuddered.

"Uh, okay, um..." Fifi tried to think of more appropriate names. "Chippy!"

Puppy glanced at her mother. "Sparky it is..."

"Sorry, dear, grown up dogs don't always get to name their babies... I did my best," Fifi kissed her nose tip. "Mama has to go now, be nice and be good!" she ran off quickly outside to get to the tree.

'Sparky' felt temporarily happy. "Boy, I'm hungry..." she hummed. She then looked to see Chaz and Kira left the room, but she was hungry. 'Sparky' sighed and hopped into Kira's chair. "Is there any food here?" she looked around and found a stray jigsaw puzzle piece. "Oh, yeah!" she leaned in and ate it and swallowed.

After that, 'Sparky' went to lie back down and feel better now about her missing name. She then later felt something stuck in her stomach. "Ooh, I don't feel so good..." she moaned.

Chaz and Kira came back from taking Fifi outside. Kira went to her puzzle table and Chaz decided to take the puppy out for a walk to clear her mind. 'Sparky' felt very sick now.

"I shouldn't have eaten that thing...Whatever it was..." 'Sparky' moaned.

Chaz and Kira called for her as 'Puppy'. She was so attached to her new name now she forgot, but the adults misunderstood the situation. Chaz told her it was a 'identity crisis'. Chaz held the puppy in his hands, crying and Kira left to call the vet.

"This is a puppy emergency!" Chaz cried out.

"I'm fine," 'Sparky' tried to tell them. "I just ate something gross..."

"Don't worry, Puppy, it's going to be okay." Chaz cooed.

'Sparky' whined. Her mother was right. The humans couldn't understand her. Her stomach ache felt a lot worse now that the vet was coming and no one knew why she was really upset right now. She was over the name thing now. Chaz carried 'Sparky' around and put her down as she saw the babies with a pile of things in the center of them.

"I was hoping we could find your name, Puppy..." Chuckie pet the poor dog. "I'm sorry..."

"I'm sorry too, that I ate that thing..." 'Sparky' whimpered, hoping her nap would make the stomach pain go away. Always worked for her father.

"I wish Granma was here, Mommy says my name came from her." Kimmy sat down.

"Well, if there's a person who gives baby names, maybe there's a person who gives puppy names too!" Tommy proclaimed.

A dog like vehicle came to the Finster home. 'Sparky' looked up and groaned. She heard about vets from her big brother. Spiffy told her that vets will hurt her and not make her feel better. He usually loved to tell her scary stories to scare her since she was young and vulnerable.

Fifi sniffed the doctor as he came in after Kira called him. "You know your shoes smell good enough to chew on a drizzly Tuesday?"

Kira told Dr. Mutterly what had been going on and what's wrong with Chaz and the puppy. The doctor looked at Fifi and examined her.

"HEY!" Fifi grunted as she was being touched.

"She's the patient's mother," Kira told the vet. "Puppy is in the backyard."

"Her name is Sparky now!" Fifi barked back.

The vet let her go and walked with Kira to the Finster backyard.

"What a creep!" Fifi shuddered and ran off. Something about the doctor gave her an unsettling feeling.

Chaz was petting 'Sparky' while she lay on the ground. Her stomach was really gnawing at her now. She just wished she could cough it up or something like Angelica's cat with a furball. Why didn't she wait until feeding time? 'Sparky' was not amused by this vet and how he was scaring Chaz. The vet looked in the dog cage and things to see if anything was wrong for the puppy's living conditions.

"Be brave, sweetie." Fifi told the puppy.

'Sparky' sighed as she was lifted off the ground. Her ears were flopped, her mouth was opened, her paws were looked at. The babies came to help the poor puppy, but they looked for a name for her still. 'Sparky's' stomach was bugging her, why couldn't anyone understand that? 'Sparky' then was deeply not amused when the vet was acting like a dog himself. He just looked stupid doing it. When the babies did it, it was cute, when HE did it, it was just... Dumb.

"Mama, that man was weird..." 'Sparky' told the poodle as the vet was leaving at last.

Fifi whined sympathetically for her daughter, then gave her a little kiss to cheer her up. "It's all over now, honey."

Kimmy came and hugged the puppy. Kimmy then dropped her as Chuckie found the vet's dog care book and that force was enough to make 'Sparky' cough up the puzzle piece.

"Oh, finally!" 'Sparky' sniffed the piece, so relieved it was out of her stomach. "That thing's been ruining my whole day."

"I thought it was because you didn't have a name?" Fifi raised an eyebrow.

'Sparky' turned back to her mother. "I thought so too, but that puzzle piece hurt worse than not having a unique name like my family. I feel so much better now!"

"Well, if you're happy, I'm happy."

"Thanks, Mama."

"Chaz, look!" Kira called as 'Sparky' started to dig to celebrate.

"That man is a genius, she's got her old pep back!" Chaz cheered. "That's it, Pepper, we'll call her Pepper!"

'Sparky' heard that name. She then smiled. "Pepper... I like that," she went up to Fifi again with her bone. "Mama, can you call me-"

"Pepper?" Fifi finished for her and chuckled. "Oui, oui, I can. I heard."

Chaz then went to the babies and announced the puppy's new name as Pepper. Everyone then spent the day calling her as such. Pepper was happy again, the puzzle piece was out of her stomach and she now had a name. Who could ask for a better day?

"I have a name! I have a name!" Pepper danced. "Take that, Spiffy!" she laughed all giddy and filled with joy.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all of you who reviewed while I was out last night. It was really good to come home to see these after my exhausting night with my theater buddies. I also got to tell you, I am so sorry for this chapter. This chapter leads to All Grown Up!, but it still has some elements of sadness. Before you get mad at me for this chapter, may I ask you, do you remember ever seeing Fifi in All Grown Up? Yeah, I didn't think so either. I don't mean to be nasty with this, and what happens to Fifi eventually, but please understand, this is kind of a tragedy. I don't really have anything else to say here but forgive me for what happens and as always, read & review.

Over the course of ten years, there were big changes for our favorite group of humans and dogs. Spike had gained a bit of weight from years of feeding on table scraps which usually gave him bad gas, Fifi was aging as well, but she was found out to be a little bit older than Spike, so she might go before he would. She was happy though to see her children Pepper and Spiffy grow up to become mature responsible dogs.

There were changes in the babies too. They were, of course, not babies anymore because this has been ten human years, feeling so slower and at the same time faster compared to dog time which was multiplied by seven. Tommy found his calling when he took his camera from his father filming him and spent his time filming all around and was destined to be a movie maker.

Phil and Lil had some changes in them. They were still twins, but going their separate ways. Lil got more in touch with her feminine side, but she had a tomboy streak for soccer. Phil didn't really change all that much. He was still the muddy, disgusting boy he once was, but he didn't eat worms or bugs anymore. However, school spaghetti made him think back of his babyhood with eating worms since it was so slimy and gross like the limbless creatures of the mud he would spend with Lil in. It won them the baby-fied Olympics against that old Timothy McNulty who moved away with his brothers ages ago. No one knew if the kids would remember the McNulty's, but Grandpa Lou never forgot, due to his relationship with the McNulty grandfather.

Chuckie was the same as well, but he had grown more mature. He was a responsible big brother figure to Kimmy. This would eventually got on her nerves, especially since she had been hanging around boys who weren't Tommy, Phil, or Dil. Chuckie and Kimmy also were working at the Java Lava with their parents and Betty after school. Kimmy had become more dependent and had a bad girl phase, but she's pretty much the same she used to be, only she seems to be quite popular and had grown to be beautiful like her mother, Kira.

Angelica couldn't change if she hit her head against a water fountain and had amnesia like some stereotypical soap opera story. She was just as bossy and arrogant as ever, though it had been known she told everyone she had the same last name as Tommy Pickles, but they were no way related, even as cousins. Angelica didn't eat as much cookies as she used to though and she hadn't even spoken to Cynthia in years. Who knows where that doll was now?

Dil had a strange change in him. He was a gross baby, often drooling and messing himself. He was just as gross at times, but not the messing his pants on purpose, of course. He still liked to throw stuff at Angelica just to make her mad. It was known that Phil and Lil dropped Dil on his head by accident once when they were old enough to carry the boy around and dropped him. Perhaps that was why Dil was always talking to other animals or coming up with wacky ideas, not to mention an imaginary alien friend. He was a likeable kid, but just a bizarre mind.

Fifi yawned a little sickly as Pepper was excitedly with Chuckie and Kimmy as they were wearing new clothes with backpacks today. Fifi took this as a sign that their vacation was over and they were due back to school. Fifi would miss them, but she knew that they were another year older, another year wiser, but they still got to school to get an education. They were, like the others, all grown up and they wanted the world to know and really wanted to shout it out.

"I can't believe we start Junior High, Chuckie." Kimmy told her brother.

"I know, where do the days go?" Chuckie smiled, then looked at the poodle watching them. "Have a good day, Fifi..."

Fifi smiled wearily.

"She's really getting old," Kimmy whispered to her step/adoptive brother. "How much time do you think she has left?"

Chuckie hushed her a little. "Not so loud... I don't want her to get discouraged."

Kimmy shook her head, slightly rolling her eyes. "Honestly, Chuckie... You act like that dog can talk to you." she then went off to get a quick breakfast from the fridge.

Chuckie glanced at her, then looked back at Fifi. "Don't listen to her, Feef... I may not have had you as long as Tommy had Spike, but you're one of my best friends... I guess that's why they call dog man's best friend. I don't know what it is, but something about you always reminded me of my mother..."

Fifi noticeably twinkled at that.

"I don't know what it was, but you just always had something about her in you besides the garden and the beautiful fall weather," Chuckie continued. "Sometimes I wonder if you're an angel from Heaven yourself sent here to look after me and my Dad... I just wish I could tell her that I really love her and miss her."

Fifi weakly yawned, then slowly shut her eyes.

"Get some rest, Fifi, I'll see you at 3:30." Chuckie smiled, then lightly kissed Fifi on the nose and went with Kimmy to wait for the school bus.

Fifi's eyes faded and she took a nap.

"Mama, you okay?" Pepper asked, coming toward the older poodle.

"Hmm?" Fifi opened her eyes again. "Oh, yes, I'm fine, dear... Listen, Pepper... I'm getting old, and I need you to take care of Chuckie and Kimmy while I'm gone."

"Gone?" Pepper was taken aback. "Gone where?"

"My time is almost up, sweetie... I'm an old dog, I'll probably be gone before your father is."

"Mama, please, don't go!"

"I'm sorry, dear... Remember, I love you..."

"Mama!" Pepper's eyes filled with tears. "Please, don't... Mama..."

"I love you..." Fifi whispered. She then slowly shut her eyes and coughed a bit. Her wagging tail stopped wagging and drooped to the Finster kitchen floor.

"Mama...?" Pepper sniffled. "I miss you..." The poor dog then snuggled close to her mother and allowed the poodle's paw to be wrapped around her like in a warm embrace.

"Have a good day!" Chaz's voice called. He then shut the door and went back into the kitchen as Chuckie and Kimmy were off to their first day of Junior High School. "Hi, Pepper, hi, Fifi!" he greeted warmly, then his smile disappeared as he looked down to the two dogs. "Pepper? Fifi?"

Pepper whined as she heard her name and looked up to her owner's father. She looked very sad like when she was a puppy dog and scared of almost everything around her.

"What's wrong?" Chaz knelt down and looked to see Fifi. She was sleeping, though she didn't seem like she could wake up again. "Oh, dear..." he muttered sadly. "We better take her to the vet..."

Chaz had called the vet. Not that silly Dr. Mutterly again, he should have gone with his gut and called Dr. Shane who had told him and Kira that the poodle was pregnant. Dr. Mutterly had been on TV though, so Kira thought he would be perfect to check on Pepper back before she had her own name.

Chaz was going to ask Stu and Didi to look after Pepper, but he decided that Fifi's child should be with her in this case. He was just as worried as she was. Pepper paced around and heard a ring in the veterinarian's office door.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Little Red Runt Pup?" a taunting voice crawled into Pepper's ears.

Pepper growled as she looked up to see Charlotte with Angelica's merciless pet cat in her arms, Fluffy. "What'd you say to me, you fuzzy, white rat?"

"Ooh, temper, temper..." Fluffy shut her eyes smugly. "Careful with your anger, sweetie... It so doesn't go with that carpet debris you call fur."

"Come down here and say that!" Pepper snarled.

"Heel, Pepper, heel!" Chaz tried to hold back the bullied pooch.

"You should train that wild animal!" Charlotte nearly huffed at him, even if he was the husband of her former best friend. "If I hadn't quit my job, I'd get Jonathon to find a lawyer for Fluffy!"

Chaz looked at the woman. "Charlotte? I hardly recognized you without a cell phone attached to your ear."

The blonde woman rolled her eyes, sarcastically laughing. "Ha-Ha, very funny... I know I was a workaholic in the day, but I don't work at an office anymore."

"Really, why?"

"Well, I heard that I should be more involved with my daughter's life as a teenager, so I'm at home more to be with her so she doesn't become an anti-social brat."

"Yeah, you and Drew really made it so she wasn't a brat." Chaz deadpanned.

"Don't I know it?" Charlotte smiled rather smugly. "Oh, this must be the puppy Angelica almost adopted."

"Yeah, I don't know what happened, but she didn't seem interested in wanting a puppy after Drew brought her to see Spike and Fifi's puppies." Chaz shrugged. "Kira and I decided that it would be nice if Chuckie and Kimmy adopted her."

Charlotte smiled fondly, then remembered something. "How is it being married to Kira?"

"Oh, it's interesting. We're doing a lot of Japanese traditions such as no shoes inside the house..."

"Does Kira about... You know who?"

"Who?"

"You know..." Charlotte prompted. "Melinda..."

"Melinda?" Chaz hadn't really thought of Melinda since they all went to Paris and he met Kira.

"Surely you remember Melinda, Chaz... She was MY best friend and YOUR girlfriend."

'Melinda? Who's that?' Pepper wondered.

"Well, sure, I remember Melinda..." Chaz whispered, lowering his head. "Sometimes, when I'm with Fifi, I thought of her for some reason..."

Charlotte shrugged. "That's unusual..."

"Mr. Finster?" Dr. Shane's nurse came toward him. "I'm sorry... But your poodle has two weeks to live..."

"T-T-Two weeks!?" Chaz gulped. "What am I gonna tell my kids?"

The nurse put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure you'll manage... It can be tough losing a pet, but at least you have this little lady." she gestured toward Pepper.

Chaz looked from her, then down at Pepper. The dog looked back and gave a sweet smile. Chaz smiled at her back, feeling a little bit better. "Don't worry, Pepper... We'll get through this..." he whispered.

Pepper smiled and jumped into his lap and licked his face. She was really going to miss her mother when the time would come, but she would make the most of it.

Fluffy seemed unsympathetic that Pepper was going to be losing her mother. She just licked the back of her paw pompously.

"Mrs. Pickles, you can bring Fluffy in now for her shots." the nurse told Charlotte.

"SHOTS!?" Fluffy hissed. She tried to escape as Charlotte stood up and took her to get checked out by Dr. Shane.

Pepper chuckled a little for the cat's misfortune.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is short, but I feel you all deserve an update from me since it's been a while since my last one. Who all remembers Nicole Boscarelli from All Grown Up? Well, you're really going to enjoy this chapter if you or ship her and Chuckie. Read & Review. Oh, and there's also a little call back to Melinda here as a heartwarming Easter egg. :) I hope it's as sweet as I intend for it to be.

Chuckie and Kimmy were a little emotional when they found out that Fifi was dying. It was just like with Melinda all over again. Didi and Stu allowed Spike to come over with Spiffy and visit as much as they could so they could be with Fifi at her final days. Pepper was handling this rather more maturely than her brother was. There were topics from school and Fifi was listening to them while she would be dazed out having her final days as a dog.

"So, Chuckie, anything happening to you and that new girl in school?" Kimmy asked her brother.

"N-New girl? What new girl? Is there a new girl in school? I had no idea!" Chuckie stammered, shivering a little nervously.

Kimmy giggled and glanced at her brother, accusingly. "You know exactly who I'm talking about, Nicole Boscarelli."

Chuckie suddenly blushed at the girl's name. "I don't know anything about a girl named Nicole Boscarelli or that she has sweet chocolate-brown hair with chestnut-brown eyes and just looks so beautiful, even more beautiful than Angelica."

Kimmy was taken aback. "Did you just compare a sweet girl to Angelica!?"

Chuckie groaned. "Forget it... Fine, you win, I like Nicole... But I don't know if she even knows I exist. How would I prove to her that I like her?"

Fifi yawned and got up. She then dug through Chuckie's backpack and pushed one of his notebooks to the boy. This notebook was where he wrote his secret poetry inside.

"What's this?" Kimmy picked up the book.

"Don't touch that!" Chuckie tried to stop her. It was too late. Kimmy was already looking through it.

"Whoa..." Kimmy breathed as she flipped through the pages. The limericks were just astounding, the sonnets nearly left away from the book. He was a natural poet. "Chuckie, I had no idea you were so talented... Does Dad write poetry?"

Chuckie shook his head and gently took the book from Kimmy. "No, actually, my mother... Well, my real mom, was a poet. She used to write them all the time, she even wrote one to me before she died." he sadly smiled.

"Maybe you should write and read some of your poems to Nicole." Kimmy suggested. "I'm sure she'd love them."

"No... She'd think I was some geek... What girl falls in love with a geek?"

Fifi whined a bit and weakly barked. She then looked at a picture of Chaz at his first wedding with Melinda.

Chuckie looked too and sighed a bit. "Thanks, Fifi, but I don't know if I could get Nicole to like me... Girls usually don't like boys for who they are..."

"I like bad boys..." Kimmy chuckled.

Chuckie glared at her. "Kimmy, you're too young to think about things like that!"

Kimmy glanced back. "Geez, when I first heard I was gonna get a new family nine years ago, I didn't think I'd be getting two Dad's!"

"Kimmy, I'm your big brother now, you have to respect my wishes just as well as Dad's!"

"You may be a little older than me, but you're not the boss of me!"

"Yes, I am, when Mom and Dad are out, I'm in charge! Now go watch your 'Stupid Bears'!"

"They're not Stupid Bears, they're Dummi Bears, and don't you dare tell anyone in school I still watch them!"

Fifi couldn't take their fighting. She then got into the fridge which was slightly open when Chuckie was about to get a snack. The can of whipped cream then fell and splattered over Chuckie and Kimmy making them stop arguing and look at the mess. They looked at each other and Fifi started to lick them which made them laugh and forget about their anger.

"I still think you should tell Nicole how you feel, be yourself." Kimmy advised as they were now cleaning up.

"I don't know, Kimmy... She doesn't seem to know I exist." Chuckie was still unsure about the right thing to do to win the girl's heart.

"She probably has a lot on her mind, she moved here not too long ago." Kimmy pointed out.

"I don't know, I'll see what I can do." Chuckie shrugged and hide his poetry book deep in the cracks of their family sofa.

Fifi saw this and sighed. She really hoped that Chuckie would someday actually be himself for this girl she, Kimmy, Kira, and Chaz have heard so much about lately before Chuckie would do something ridiculous.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was dedicated to the passing of my aunt. She died during the summer.

Fifi was asleep while Chuckie was in his bedroom one night. It had been a big week for him so far with trying to impress Nicole. He had mentioned that she doesn't even know that he was alive. She even took a cafeteria chair away with him in it and asked if she could borrow it. Fifi was on Chcukie's bed as he was writing out his feelings about Nicole in the form of a poem. He had to admit that he had Melinda's hand at poetry, but he thought it wouldn't be good enough. The only poets in school were the isolated Goths, the spiritual girls in the grade, and the ones who usually sucked up to the strict and very lingual English Literature teacher.

Chuckie got out of his bed and he was taking out some new clothes. He needed to find a way to get Nicole to be his. She didn't know he existed the way he was, so he thought the right thing to do was to adopt an alter ego. This would impress a girl like Nicole for sure. Fifi scratched herself a bit in her sleep, then heard some scattering in the boy's room she was sleeping in tonight instead of seeing Spike like she usually would.

"I need some real help, Fifi," Chuckie told the poodle.

As her name was mentioned, Fifi woke up and stretched a bit. She looked sleepily over toward him.

"Mom can't help me, cuz she's a mom... Maybe Kimmy can help me," Chuckie said to the sleepy dog. "Yeah, Kimmy could help."

Fifi yawned, then continued to sleep.

Chuckie sighed, then left his room to go to Kimmy's.

Chuckie had been gone a while and Fifi woke up to stretch her legs. Lil DeVille had come over and was with Kimmy. They were going to work on Chuckie to make him more appealing for Nicole Boscarelli. Fifi saw an unknown presence in the room with Kimmy and Lil.

"There, that's much better!" Lil gushed to her new friend.

"No doubt." Kimmy agreed.

Fifi didn't know this person. He looked very odd to her. He had long black pants with funky shoes, a pink collared shirt, green sunglasses, a gold earring, with his red hair in a ponytail, a white and green shirt under the pink one with a brown hat. Fifi then grew angry and disturbed by this stranger with Kimmy and Lil which made her bark aggressively at him.

The stranger removed his sunglasses to remove familiar eyes. "Fifi, Fifi, stop! It's me, Chuckie!" he said.

Fifi stopped growling, then whined a bit, looking at the boy. She came closer to him and sniffed him and wagged out her tongue as she now saw this was really Chuckie. She then held him down and licked over his face.

"Well, at least the dog likes him..." Lil shrugged.

"Fifi!" Kimmy called, then took the poodle out of her bedroom. She then smiled at her brother. "Just go to school like that with your new voice and Nicole will eat you up."

"Right, thanks a lot, girls." Chuckie nodded, then used his new accent. "How is this?"

"Perfect... A little cheesy, but I think you can pull it off." Lil shrugged.

"Good," Kimmy smiled, then shoved him out with Fifi. "Now get out of my room, we have important things to discuss," she shut the door and looked at Lil. "So, about the Sulky Boys...?"

Chuckie got up and dusted himself clean. "Check this out, Fifi, I'm going to school like this tomorrow and Nicole will like me. Won't that be fun?"

Fifi whined a bit, but then fell asleep.

"Oh, just you wait, Fifi, Nicole will love me this way, it's not about how you wear, it's what you wear." Chuckie tutored the dog who never had to worry about peer pressure and school drama.

Fifi was a little unsettled about Chuckie Finster being a liar and not himself with this new guise to impress Nicole from school. Fifi had not met Nicole, but she was sure this couldn't end the way that Chuckie would want it to. Why can't the boy just accept being himself was the way to go and it would be the only way to get his happy ending?

At least the next day, Chuckie was himself again and he mentioned how he had a lot of Nicole's attention as this 'Chongo' person. Fifi still didn't like the 'Chongo' idea and he still wanted to do it, but he promised to cover Kimmy's shift at Java Lava after school while she would see the Sulky Boys with Lil.

"Tommy still can't believe Chuckie's still doing it." Spike told Fifi as they were in the park together with Kira and Didi. The other, younger dogs were playing and having fun with their owners, but since Spike and Fifi were old, they could just talk now.

"It isn't right for Chuckie to do this to himself," Fifi told her mate. "You should love people the way they are. I didn't judge you for eating Dil's diapers when he was a baby, I didn't judge you for being rude with your housebroken policies, you never judged me for eating out of the trash like a disgusting stray dog when we were in Paris, mon cherie."

"I'm sure the boy will learn his lesson," Spike stretched, then sheepishly let out some gas. "Oops, sorry... Didi made Brussel sprouts again."

"It's okay, I can't smell much of anything anymore." Fifi told him, not even bothered by the disgusting call of nature. "I just wonder what Chuckie is going to do when Nicole finds out that Chuckie and Chongo are the same person."

"What's that name even mean? Chongo? Sounds like a chilli cheese corndog..." Spike murmured, then sniffed the air. "Or is that just me?"

Fifi slightly shook her head, rolling her eyes.

"Fifi, come!" Kira's voice called.

"Ooh, gotta go... It was nice seeing you, be safe and take very good care of Spiffy and the humans." Fifi hunched up a little and licked his cheek.

"Bye, Feef, be careful, okay?" Spike called after her.

"I am always careful!" Fifi called back and followed Kira back home.

Kira had to stop into town for a bit, so she had Fifi stay at the Java Lava with Chaz and Betty for a while until she would come back. Chaz was stacking a tower of chocolate muffins while Betty brought in a large sack of coffee beans. Betty seemed to have been a lot more grouchy than usual and getting hot all the time. She must have been reaching the dreaded next case of old womanhood: Menopause. And having twins was stressful enough for the woman.

"Hi, Dad!" Chuckie ran in and tied an apron around himself. "Reporting for duty! Oh, hi, Betty!"

Fifi woke up a bit and saw Chuckie in his disguised sunglasses.

"Cool shades, dude, uhh... Meister..." Chaz noticed something different and tried to be hip with his pre-teenage son.

Chuckie noticed this and quickly changed his sunglasses to his normal glasses. He then cleaned up the bar table a bit while Chaz and Betty went to get to personal business. As Chuckie cleaned a girl came into the Java Lava that Fifi didn't recognize. Seeing Chuckie duck down and try to hide from her, Fifi assumed this was the Nicole girl.

"Talk to her." Fifi whimpered.

"Not now, Fifi!" Chuckie told the dog, nervously and gently pushed her away from his lap for comfort.

"Hello?" the girl called. "Anyone here?"

"Yep!" Fifi yipped.

Chuckie shushed her. He then saw that there was no way out of this, so he stood at his post to talk with the beautiful girl. He carried a basket of fruit in front of his face sheepishly. "Uhh... Welcome to Java Lava, try our fruit juice!"

"I walked by this place 100 times, this is my first time in this place!" the girl beamed, then looked back in amazement of the style and decor of this treat stop.

Chuckie rambled a bit about a smoothie for the girl to try. He then poured the fruit he would need into the blender with some ice cubes and got to work. Unfortunately, he forgot the top and the blender spun and made a mess. Fifi opened her mouth and caught some of the substance on her nose and muzzle. This made the visiting girl laugh a bit.

"Don't I know you from somewhere?" the girl asked as Chuckie put the top on, anxiously.

"Uhh... Kinda..." Chuckie said, a little nervous.

Fifi licked the mess up while Chuckie and the girl were talking. This had to be the Nicole person Chuckie had been talking about lately. He was nervous around her, kind of avoiding eye contact due to the crush on her he had, she was beautiful and she matched a lot of descriptions in person as she did in the imagery Chuckie used to describe her in his poem about her. Chestnut-brown eyes, chocolate-brown hair... Not to mention her lips were as pink as tulip petals and probably felt just as sweet and soft as such. The girl had mentioned sometimes when she's thinking, she tends to space out in other situations. Fifi made mental note of this being that this was why Chuckie was feeling invisible around her.

"Mm, this is awesome!" the girl beamed after Chuckie handed the smoothie he made for her.

Chuckie smiled bashfully in return.

"Hey, I'm surprised we haven't met before." Nicole pointed out.

Chuckie was going to tell her that he's seen her around in school all the time, but that may not be appropriate. "Me too..." he ad-libbed.

"Hey, you know Chongo?"

Chuckie cried out as she mentioned that name. He accidentally got his apron attached to the bottom of the blender twirl thing and placed the glass back on the machine. Chuckie didn't want to give himself away, so he pretended like he had never heard of Chongo even if in reality they were the same person only known by Tommy, Kimmy, Phil, Lil, and of course, Fifi herself. Not like she could tell anyone in their school about it.

Nicole told the stories she knew about Chongo to Chuckie, even if he was the one who made them all up. Nicole found Chuckie to be a great listener and she listened when it came to Chongo. They should talk again soon and she was on her way and Chuckie sighed dreamily as Nicole left. Even though he fell and let a smoothie fall on his head, he was so happy now.

"I see why you like her." Fifi scratched her ear the only way she knew how to.

"Fifi, did you see that?" Chuckie beamed. "Nicole actually talked to me and acknowledged my existence!"

Fifi smiled at him, very proud he had the courage to talk to his crush.

"I gotta tell Tommy!" Chuckie rushed in the back to get the phone, but Tommy wasn't available right now.

"I knew you could do it!" Fifi danced on her hind legs like a circus poodle would, she was so happy for the human boy.

The next day, Chuckie and Kimmy were getting ready for school. Fifi watched Chuckie leave and even if he couldn't understand it, she wished him good luck and had her tail crossed like when a human wishes for something fortunate to happen and they cross their fingers. She never knew if it really worked or not, but nine out of ten times it did.

After school, Nicole came back and Fifi looked, a little disappointed to see Chuckie in his Chongo outfit again. Only Fifi knew what was really happening, but Chaz didn't recognize his own son. He was either blinded by his tears brought on by chopping pineapples or he found out eventually and was going along with it too. No one could really tell. However, Chaz did notice that Chuckie had sunglasses just like 'Chongo's'.

"I'm sure he's here somewhere..." Nicole looked around for Chuckie, but didn't see him, even if he was right behind her and she didn't know it was him.

"M-M-Maybe he's in ze bathroom, I'll go check!" Chuckie suggested and quickly went to go in the back.

Nicole looked at him oddly, but smiled and pet Fifi. "Hi, there!" she said in a sweetsy voice like when a human woman meets a little baby and over exaggerates the baby talk and cooing.

Fifi barked happily and nuzzled against her. She then came to a computer and hit a button with her paw to show a dancing cartoon with animate kitchen appliances.

"How did you do that? You're so smarty warty!" Nicole gushed, then went to watch the computer.

Fifi barked, then looked back to see Chuckie coming to Nicole. This lead to a lot of chaos. A lot more than Fifi could take. Even Tommy and Phil came to make it even more trouble. Even more so when Nicole pointed out that Chongo mentioned that he didn't even know the boys. Tommy even wanted to see Chuckie, but had a sneaky smirk and went to go get Chuckie himself. All of this confusion was giving poor Fifi a headache.

She went to rest and decided to let this problem settle itself. Nicole eventually came in the back and found out that Chuckie and Chongo were indeed the same person and she had yelled at him and called him a phony. Chuckie explained why he had to do it and she continued to yell at him, but didn't find him boring, but sweet and a little clumsy. It got even worse when Phil claimed to be someone named 'Phongo'.

Fifi watched Chuckie and Nicole make up. They weren't in the boyfriend girlfriend stage, but Fifi was thrilled to see that they were becoming friends now. Nicole said it would take a lot of time and a lot of smoothies to make up for what Chuckie had been doing lately.

Later, that night, Fifi was lying on the kitchen floor while Kira was serving fish and rice for her family for dinner. Chuckie was talking about how he and Nicole really hit off today and he wasn't going to be Chongo anymore and he had a lot of cool stories to tell her.

"I'm thinking maybe that I should let Nicole read my poems..." Chuckie spoke up, intriguing and pleasing Fifi.

"Chuckie, I didn't know you were interested in poetry." Kira sounded happy.

"Yeah, it was something I was blessed with... I got interested with this Mother's Day tradition I have with Dad," Chuckie explained. "My mother... Well, my real mom, not you, wrote poems all the time in her diary."

"It's true, she did." Chaz agreed.

Kira smiled fondly. "I wish I could have met her... She must have been very lovely to have known two wonderful boys like you." she kissed the tops of both of their foreheads.

Fifi smiled fondly at the scene. She then fell asleep as they had their quiet dinner together and unlike Spike, she didn't beg for food. It wouldn't be long now until she was officially gone. The Finsters would have another girl in their life to lose. This time, a pet and not a wife or mother. Would they be able to handle it as well as Melinda's passing?


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a little hard to write, but as I got to the end, it was very well worth it. I really hope you liked it even though it's very sad in the middle. Anyone who has lost a pet or a relative can probably relate to this. I really have nothing to say but read & review and the next chapter of this story will be my last. Thank you all so much for taking time to read this story and review it. You don't know how much I appreciate it. :)

Fifi ended up living longer than the veterinarian anticipated. She was though now reaching her final days as she was getting older and couldn't do much anymore. She couldn't see Spike after dark anymore and Pepper was trying to cope with losing her mother. She still had her father and annoying brother, Spiffy, she was really going to miss her mother, but she thinks she can handle this. It will take time for her to live without her mother, but she still had Chaz, Chuckie, Kimmy, Kira, Tommy, Dil, Spiffy, Spike, Stu and Didi. They would all comfort her in ways Fifi won't be able to. Even Fluffy seemed sad about Fifi going to be gone in the doggy kennel in the sky, and even ignored a snobby cat that belonged to Savannah Shane and ended their friendship and Fluffy had then befriended Susie Carmichael's cat, Chowder, who saw Fluffy as a big sister, even though she was old like Spike and Fifi now. Chuckie was talking about a poem with Kimmy as they were coming home off the bus after their first year in junior high school, feeling this year was a lot better than the year before.

"Okay, listen to this one, Kimmy." Chuckie said as he held a nearly tattered up piece of notebook paper as they were walking into their home.

"No!" Kimmy groaned in annoyance. "Man, I'm sick of your poems!"

"Come on, Kimmy, Nicole and I are going to the park after Java Lava today and I really want her to feel special when I read her this one." Chuckie tried to get her to understand.

Kimmy sighed. She was happy for her brother, but she was annoyed at being his test subject for the poetry he would write and present to her on their various dates. "Fine... One more poem, but that's it!"

Chuckie cleared his throat and held the poem close as they stopped walking a bit so he wouldn't run into anything. No more than usual.

"My dearest, Nicole

Your eyes are as lovely as your heart and soul

You make my heart do a dance of a thousand men as it races when I'm near you

Your eyes make me melt like one of the smoothie specials we sell on a hot summer's eve

Your laughter fills my ears with dandelions as it tickles and I never want it to leave

You warm skin when your hand touches my own

I feel like I am the luckiest boy ever to find you to be known

Seeing you just makes me feel like I'm living in a dream

As you and I held hands, I knew there was no turning back, I mean

You make my whole body turn and shake

When we separate from class breaks, I miss you more than ever

It is only less than an hour I will see you again

To my heart, it feels a lot longer and I hope we hold each other in what feels like a plain day melted by rain

I really love you Nicole and I want to see you more than just in school

More than on a hot day with you turned cool

Even though you make my stomach feel funny

That is love, my dear, I love you, Nicole Boscarelli"

Kimmy blinked. "Wow..." she breathed, then cleared her throat. "I mean, wow, Chuckie... You're full of surprises... I'm sure she'll love it. That poem seems as long as Dad's poem he used to have taped to the refrigerator."

"'Children Are My Life', I don't think he took that down until he married Mom." Chuckie shrugged sheepishly. "You think Nicole will like this poem?"

"I think she will, gosh, for someone who's dating at age 12, you seem really attached to this girl, what's next? You're gonna marry her?" Kimmy laughed a little.

Chuckie rolled his eyes "Yeah, right! We're just boyfriend and girlfriend for now... Well, at least until we're in high school cuz her dad says she's too young to date."

Chaz came to the two as they were by the Java Lava entrance. He was sniffling. His eyes were red and puffy. "Fifi died..." he said in a very sorrowful voice and sniffled, still crying.

Chuckie and Kimmy instantly froze and felt sick to their stomachs in instant grief. Fifi may have been a dog, but she was like a member of their family since she had lived in the Finster home for so long. Same with Pepper as their puppy and Spike was important to the Pickles family. They felt very hungry today and were going to get an after school snack before officially working, but their stomachs were completely sick and no longer hungry as they lost their beloved dog. Chuckie and Kimmy dropped what they were doing and hugged Chaz instantly as he was silent after that.

It was a sunny and clear day, but now it seemed as though the sky was gray and was about to rain. Chaz decided to close the Java Lava for today until the family would get back on their feet. Kira was contemplating what to make for a small dinner since her family wasn't very hungry anymore now that they had lost Fifi. They all felt like they lost their best friend.

Pepper whined as she stared at her food bowl and didn't eat any of the irresistible kibble Kimmy had filled it with. She was just lying next to it and stared at the food. She completely lost her appetite just as well as the others. If she could speak with them, she would tell them that she missed her too, but they all knew that's how she felt as well. This was going to be a long process. Chaz was just like how he was when Melinda passed and now Fifi was gone.

For the next few days, Chuckie's poems had gotten grim and darker as the days went on since Fifi's passing. He didn't really feel like going to the pet funeral and he had locked himself in his room. The door to his bedroom knocked as he wrote another dreary 'doggone' poem.

"Go away..." Chuckie murmured.

"It's me," a female voice came from behind. Nicole had come into Chuckie's room. "Hey..." she greeted softly.

Chuckie merely glanced at her. "Hey..."

"I'm sorry about your dog," Nicole put her hand on his shoulder. "This must remind you of when your birth mother..."

"A little," Chuckie said softly, nearly cutting her off. "I was only a little baby when my mother died..."

"Oh, I never knew that... I thought your parents divorced."

"No, Kimmy's dad Hiro and Kira divorced... My mother died a long time ago... Funny thing though, I could always sense my mother in Fifi... I feel like I lost my mother again, only now I'm old enough to understand."

Nicole backed up a bit softly. "Do you want me to come back later?"

Chuckie slowly shut his eyes. "Please..."

Nicole nodded, respecting his privacy. "Of course, Chuckie..." she said softly, then left out of the boy's room.

Chuckie watched her leave and a tear formed in his eye. He didn't cry at the funeral, he didn't cry when Kimmy and his father cried, but now he was crying. His tears felt more forced and stinging now that Fifi was gone just like his old mother.

"Chuckie... Chuckie..." an angelic voice called.

"Huh?" Chuckie heard the voice. "Who's there?"

"Chuckie..." the voice called again.

"Nicole, I said I wanted to be alone!" Chuckie said, nearly angrily. He wasn't mad at her if she was there, but he really wanted to be alone now.

Some fog came into the room and the door opened, as though on its own.

"Tommy, if that's you making another surprise movie to enter in a film festival, stop it!" Chuckie snapped. "I'll admit, you did well on the special effects... BUT GO AWAY!"

"Chuckie... Calm yourself..." the voice droned.

"Alright, who's there?" Chuckie stood up, a little annoyed now.

"Chuckie... Don't you recognize me when you hear me...?"

Chuckie blinked. There came a ghostly white ball shape and it formed into a woman Chuckie once knew. Her strawberry blonde hair, her freckled cheeks, her loving eyes, her rose petal colored lips. She only had on a tattered white gown with a golden halo.

"Mom...?" Chuckie breathed. He wasn't talking about Kira now, he meant his real mother. The woman who had given him life. Melinda Cavanaugh-Finster.

"That's right, Chuckie," the woman smiled, grateful she got to talk to her son like she had always wanted to. "I understand you're sad and angry because of Fifi..."

"Oh, Mom, I really missed you," Chuckie wanted to hug her, but he saw that he could, even though his mother was a spirit now and not a living soul. "I wish you could've met her, Mom... She was like the best dog ever..."

"Chuckie, I know about Fifi... I was her."

Chuckie's eyes widened and he stepped back. "Y-You were? How!?"

"Chuckie, have you ever heard of reincarnation?"

"Yes," the boy nodded. "It's the religious or philosophical concept that a soul after death begins a new life in a new body... W-Wait, you were my own pet dog and I never knew about it?"

"I didn't know myself for the first while," Melinda told him. "I woke up in Paris, France. I had always wanted to go there and take a cruise for my honeymoon with your father..."

Chuckie remembered that he and Chaz had gone to Paris with Tommy's father and that they took a cruise for Chaz and Kira's honeymoon. Chaz must have had those happen with his new wife since he never got to experience them with his former wife.

"I wanted to have a new life because I missed being a living soul, but I still wanted to watch you with my Heavenly eyes," Melinda continued. "God allowed me to become a poodle and see you and your father again. I'm glad your father had fallen in love again and remarried and now you have a sister. I know your grandparents are happy to have two grandchildren now."

Chuckie smiled, sniffling. "They really are, Mom..." he nearly grew emotional when he called his mother that, not remembering being able to when he was a baby.

"Mom... I really miss you."

"I miss you too, I'm afraid I have to go now..."

"M-Mom, will I ever see you again?" Chuckie didn't want her to leave now. "Mom, come back!"

Melinda was starting to fade away and was going to go back up into Heaven where she truly belonged. "I promise I'll come back, Chuckie... Just follow your heart and don't worry, be happy... I'll miss you, my special little boy." she was then her eyes now and she completely faded back into the golden gates of her new residence.

Chuckie blinked. It couldn't have been a dream because he was still standing. However, he looked outside and went close to his window. It was now a bright and sunny day with the birds chirping and it all looked peaceful now. Chuckie decided to get some sleep now, a quick nap.

After Chuckie's nap, he felt a lot better. He yawned and woke up to look out his window again. Soon enough, the others still missed Fifi, but they had moved on after the death and got on with their lives. Chuckie looked out the window to see Tommy, Phil, and Dil walking down the street.

"Hey guys, what're ya doin'?!" Chuckie called out.

Tommy heard him and looked at him with Phil and Dil. "Aw, we were just gonna go to the mall and see a monster movie... Ya don't wanna come."

"Are you kidding?" Chuckie laughed, then rushed downstairs and came out the door to be with them. "A movie with my best friends in the whole wide world? I wouldn't miss it for the world!"

The other boys smiled. They then pulled Chuckie into a hug and they all laughed together.

"Good to see you're feeling better." Phil smiled fondly.

"Yeah, you were like a zombie the past few days, I thought aliens took away your brain and made you into some other Chuckie and I was the only one who knew and Fifi was their alien overlord," Dil added which earned him weird stares. "What? It could happen!"

"Yeah, in the weird planet of your mind..." Tommy rolled his eyes at his younger brother.

Chuckie glanced at them, then bumped into his girlfriend. "Oh, Nicole, I'm so sorry! I was thinking of-"

"No, no, it's my fault, you know how I space out," Nicole stood up and dusted herself. "Oh, were you guys going somewhere?"

"Just a monster movie." Phil told her.

Nicole smiled. "Mind if I come? I love monster movies!"

Dil blinked at her. He then went to Chuckie's side. "Where did you get her and where can I find one of them?"

Chuckie scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Come on, guys, let's go see that movie."

Chaz and the boys went off with Nicole. It was his first movie with Nicole and it was especially special that afternoon. That was also the very movie that Nicole and Chuckie shared their first kiss. From anyone for each other. Chuckie's first kiss ever as well as Nicole's which surprised the others.

Chaz watched Chuckie go off with his friends. He had taken a nap too and felt almost nothing could cheer him up. He then saw an autumn leaf fall. Another one did. But, it wasn't fall. Why was it falling leaves? A bunch were falling randomly.

"What in the world?" Chaz muttered, then went to the front yard. "I'm gonna have to rake early, I guess... Next thing you know we'll be shoveling snow in July, sunbathing in December..."

Pepper saw something that Chaz didn't until she barked.

"What is it, girl?" Chaz asked her.

Pepper barked and pointed to the leaves.

"Pepper, I know there are fall leaves, but there's no excuse to-" Chaz said, but then looked at the leaves. He took off his glasses and cleaned them to see if he was really seeing what he was seeing.

The leaves were true. They had written out: 'Dear, Chaz, I'm glad to see you almost never changed, even after my unfortunate passing. I know you're a great father and great husband, not to mention a dog-owner. I'm very proud of you and Chuckie to live on without me and I hope to see pleasant futures for you both as I watch over you in Heaven. Love and always will, Melinda Cavanaugh-Finster.'

Pepper yipped happily.

"M-M-M-Melinda...?" Chaz breathed.

He looked all around. He then saw the clouds open up above the sky and angel was going back to them. It was Melinda. She looked back at Chaz, blew a kiss at him and went back up to the gates of Heaven.


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As some of you know, October is my favorite month of the year. October is for my favorite holiday, Halloween, and there's mine and my mother's birthdays in October, not to mention Cartoon Network's birthday, even if this fan fiction submission is for a Nickelodeon program and not a Cartoon Network program. I also thought that this would be a good time to input the final chapter of Childhood Friend Romance now, I know some of you will miss me writing this story, I will too, I ended up liking it a lot better than I thought I would when I first came up with it and found Rugrats in Paris on Netflix. Also, some of the last chapter's elements are based on the emotions and reactions that my family I endured earlier in the summer when my dear Aunt Cindy passed away.
> 
> She had been a godmother to me and my brother before he turned 18 and I became an adult myself and will be 20 in a few weeks. I would also like to thank my many reviewers for this story, you all kept me on my feet to encourage me and keep this story going. The more reviews I get, the more that I feel confident enough to write. Even if one of those reviews was very unflattering, but I can't report since it was a guest review... You know who you are. Also, thank you to TheUnknownAuthor who inspired this chapter and made it possible. Credit goes to him...or her... I'm not really sure if that writer is male or female, but thanks anywya, dude.
> 
> Many thanks to celrock for being a good friend to me lately and adding in more reviews and Jesse J. Barrow for 'grading me' on this fan fiction with chapter reviews. It is very much appreciated. I am also pleased to say that this story should be released soon on my other online accounts such as DeviantART and Wattpad, so keep your eyes peeled for such edits and stories.
> 
> Finally, I would like to thank Arlene Klasky and Gabor Csupo, though I have no idea how to pronounce Gabor's name, him being Hungarian and all. But I like to thank them for creating such characters we all come to know and love. From my brother's words, that man is a genius for bringing us not only the Rugrats, but also The Wild Thornberrys, Aaaah! Real Monsters, Duckman, and Rocket Power. There may be more, but that's all I know. I think maybe also As Told By Ginger. For if it not been them, this story may not have been possible. I apologize for my very long author's note at the beginning, but it is very important. Thank you all, and Read & Review.

35 years later, somewhere in Los Angeles, California, a laboratory filled with gas. It was all fanned away, and the clearance of gas revealed a man in a white lab coat. The man checked himself in the mirror to make sure he was okay. He adjusted his glasses and cleared some dust from the part of his face where his freckles were, and re-adjusted his tied back messy orange hair. The man looked around his lab, and realized the mess he had made, he began to clean up, and once he finished, he looked at the medical degree he had hung up after finishing top of his class in Kingston school of pharmacy, named for Dr. Charles Crandall Finster. It had been about ten years ago on this day, he'd begun school there, and about 34-35 years ago exactly, his birth mother had succumbed to breast cancer.

A lot had occurred with the Finsters since then. Chas had moved on and about a year and a half after Melinda's passing, he'd found love again in the form of his new wife, a Japanese woman known as Kira. Kira helped the boys to finally get over their loss, and adopted Chuckie as her own. She helped fill the void that Melinda's unfortunate passing had left. As Chuckie learned more about his birth mother, he learned how she died, and that lead to him wanting to learn more about breast cancer. Chuckie had just finished his newest anti-biotic. As a Pharmacist and Scientist, his dream was to find a cure for breast cancer. His test subjects were two women who were suffering from this disease, and risked dying from it as well. Kira herself was one, and the other was Chuckie's wife, the mother of his children, Nicole Finster (née Boscarelli). Chuckie was not only about to relive the tragedy of losing a mother, he was possibly going to see the tragedy through a husband's perspective as well. Being that two of Chuckie and Nicole's three children were girls, he was determined to make this work. He had to, for his step-mom, wife, daughters, and his late-birth-mother. It was his mother who he could not fail. Never. Chuckie was the only one who could save them from having an early death like Melinda.

He took the anti-biotic, and handed it to the two women.

"Here you go, within the next few days, go to your doctor and have them examine you. Hopefully, the medicine's effects will kick in and do it's work." He explained

The two women took the anti-biotics, and in their minds, prayed for the best.

"Your mother would be so proud of you, honey," Nicole said. "She's probably smiling down at you right now." She then kissed her husband in gratitude.

Kira walked up and wrapped her arms around him as well. "Just know that even if this doesn't work, never give up. She looks down on you knowing you can do it. And we all know as well. She may have died, but she's not gone. You make us all so proud. And if this doesn't work. I'll at least get to meet the woman who gave me such an amazing boy to call my son just as much as hers."

"It can't fail." Chuckie replied to his adoptive-mother "I know it won't, and I promise I'll find a cure if this isn't it, I'll work myself to burnout if I have to. I know it's my destiny to cure cancer. A doctor told my mom the day she found out she wouldn't make it that her son could possibly be the man who finds it. That has to mean something."

A month later, on September 13th, 2025, on what would've been Melinda's 66th birthday...

"And the Nobel prize in Medicine, is awarded to a man for his hard work that resulted in finding a cure for breast cancer, a disease that took his birth mother, and nearly his wife and step-mother. The award goes to Dr. Charles C. 'Chuckie' Finster!"

Chuckie stepped up to the stage. He was applauded by millions, but a handful stood out from the crowd. His life-long friends, Tommy, Phil, Lil, Dil, and Angelica, his wife, Nicole Finster, his three children, Melinda, Valerie, & Christian Finster, his father, his step-mother, and above all, he saw someone who only he could see. He saw Melinda. He saw her in spirit. He saw her clapping and cheering. He saw her crying tears of joy and pride. He saw her thanking her widower and his second wife, for caring for her son so he could grow into the amazing man he was. He saw Melinda. He saw his mother. She died, but she never fully left the earth, and with Chas, Chuckie, and his descendants, she never would.

The End

(From TheUnknownAuthor)

For those who are wondering where the names of the OCs came from. Nicole was Chuckie's crush during the first season of All Grown Up! Melinda Finster II is named after Melinda, Christian Finster is named after Chuckie's maternal grandfather, and Valerie was just picked at random. I'd like to thank PerkyGoth14 for allowing me to contribute to this story.

A/N: Thank you all very much for reviewing this story and I'm sorry and sad to say, but this story is now over. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to work on some other fan fiction projects and maybe some suggestions if you all would like me to write for the Rugrats again.


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